Paris investigates claim of women being removed during Hindu delegation visit at Eiffel Tower - The Hindu

**Paris Launches Probe Into Alleged Removal of Female Staff During Hindu Delegation Visit to Eiffel Tower**

Paris authorities have opened an investigation after reports surfaced that female employees of the Eiffel Tower were asked to leave or were otherwise hidden from view during a visit by a Hindu cultural delegation on Monday. The claim first appeared in Indian media outlets, including *The Hindu* and *The Times of India*, and was subsequently echoed by the BBC, NDTV, and Reuters. According to the allegations, a group of women working on the tower’s second floor were instructed by supervisors to move to a back‑of‑house area so that the visiting delegation would not see them, a move that was described by some staff as “discriminatory” and “unacceptable.”

The incident quickly sparked unrest among the tower’s workforce. The French trade union CGT, which represents many of the Eiffel Tower’s employees, called for an immediate halt to the tower’s operations and organized a brief staff walk‑out to demand answers. Management at the Eiffel Tower, operated by the Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), denied any policy of gender‑based removal, stating that the staff were “temporarily relocated for safety and crowd‑control reasons” and that no discrimination was intended. Representatives of the Hindu delegation, who were on a cultural exchange program organized by the Indian embassy, said they were unaware of any such instructions and expressed “concern” over the allegations.

The Paris Prefecture of Police has confirmed that a formal inquiry is underway, with investigators interviewing both tower staff and members of the visiting delegation. France’s interior ministry has emphasized that any act of gender discrimination is punishable under French law, and that the investigation will assess whether labor regulations were breached. SETE has pledged full cooperation and has promised to release its internal report once the probe concludes. The incident has reignited debate in France about workplace equality, the handling of high‑profile diplomatic visits, and the responsibilities of cultural institutions to uphold non‑discriminatory practices.