An employee of the Eiffel Tower has come forward, saying that female staff were asked to leave their posts during a visit by a Hindu religious group, raising concerns about who authorized such a decision. The incident occurred when a delegation from the BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha) religious organization arrived at the iconic landmark. A female elevator operator reported being instructed to leave her post, which she described as both unexpected and personally offensive. This situation has sparked questions about the procedures followed by the Eiffel Tower’s management and whether such a directive was officially approved. The management of the Eiffel Tower has acknowledged an error and expressed regret over the incident. Meanwhile, the BAPS delegation has denied making any request for women to be excluded from the visit. They have provided photos from the event that show women present but at a distance from the religious figures. The group, which is associated with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has previously been linked to similar incidents, including a 2024 event in Calcutta where women were asked to leave the premises. Internal emails suggest that some kind of special arrangement was made in advance of the visit, though the exact nature of the requests from the BAPS group remains unclear. The delegation insists it did not ask for women to be excluded and has expressed disappointment over the misunderstanding. However, the incident has raised concerns about the treatment of women in public spaces and the protocols followed by event organizers. In response, French officials have launched investigations into the events surrounding the visit. These inquiries involve both the company that operates the Eiffel Tower and local authorities in Paris. The aim is to determine whether any rules were broken and to clarify the sequence of events that led to female staff being asked to leave. The outcome of these investigations could have implications for how religious groups are accommodated in public and cultural spaces in France.