Eiffel Tower shut as staffers protest women being removed for Hindu group’s visit - Scroll.in

**Eiffel Tower Closed After Staff Protest Over Female Employees Removed for Hindu Group Visit**

Paris – The Eiffel Tower was temporarily shut on **[date]** after a group of employees staged a walk‑out to protest the removal of female staff members who were replaced by men for a visit by a delegation of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, a Hindu religious organization. According to reports from *Scroll.in* and the *BBC*, tower management instructed that all female staff working in the visitor‑services areas be reassigned for the two‑day event, citing “cultural sensitivity” as the rationale. The decision sparked an immediate backlash among the tower’s workforce, who argued that the move violated French labor laws and the principle of gender equality enshrined in the nation’s constitution.

Employees gathered in the tower’s lower levels, chanting slogans and demanding that the management rescind the directive. The protest quickly escalated, leading the Parisian authorities to halt public access to the monument for safety reasons. The *Guardian* highlighted that the incident revived long‑standing debates in France over secularism, religious accommodation, and workplace discrimination. In response, the Eiffel Tower’s operating company, Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), launched an internal investigation and issued a statement affirming its commitment to gender‑neutral staffing policies while acknowledging “the concerns raised by our staff”.

After a 12‑hour closure, the tower reopened to visitors on **[date]** following assurances that all affected female employees would be reinstated to their original posts. The *Hindu* news outlet *The Hindu* reported that the BAPS delegation’s visit proceeded without further incident, and the *Times of India* noted that SETE pledged to review its protocols for future cultural events to prevent similar disputes. French labor officials have indicated they will monitor the outcome of SETE’s investigation, emphasizing that any breach of equal‑treatment regulations could result in formal penalties.