• The Eiffel Tower closed after staff protested the sidelining of female employees during a Hindu religious group's visit.
• A Hindu delegation requested to limit "interactions with women," leading to employee walkouts on September 7.
• Management acknowledged the situation and stated such conditions "should not have been accepted."
• The Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) apologized for any inconvenience caused.
• The Eiffel Tower is set to reopen after discussions between staff and management on September 8.

The Eiffel Tower was closed on September 7 after staff went on strike over allegations that female employees were removed during a visit by the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a religious group linked to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party. The Eiffel Tower staff condemned the "professional instructions" that led to women being "sidelined, replaced, and made invisible" during the visit, causing significant unrest among employees, according to Le Monde and India Times.

SETE, the operating company of the Eiffel Tower, confirmed the delegation had requested limited "interactions with women," resulting in strike actions from employees. Diane Davoine, a union representative, noted that females were instructed to leave their workstations to accommodate the male delegation members, which led to heightened tensions and management's apology, as reported by BBC and Al Jazeera.

The BAPS group later issued an apology, asserting that their visit had been coordinated with the Eiffel Tower team to minimize disruption. They maintained that at no point was anyone denied access to the landmark. Meanwhile, Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire emphasized the need for an investigation, stating that the conditions associated with the delegation were "unacceptable" and should not result in women being treated differently in public settings, according to Le Monde and India Times.

French officials across the political spectrum, including the president of the National Assembly, condemned the requests made by the delegation. They affirmed that such demands violate France's values regarding gender equality and public presence, reinforcing that "welcoming others never means giving up our values," as stated by BBC and Al Jazeera.