A controversy has erupted around the Eiffel Tower in Paris after female employees were reportedly moved from their workstations during a private visit by a delegation linked to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS). The delegation, led by spiritual leader Mahant Swami Maharaj, visited the monument in early September. According to staff representatives, some women were asked to leave their posts, avoid certain areas or were temporarily replaced by male colleagues. The incident triggered anger among employees, who later staged a strike that briefly closed the Eiffel Tower. Paris authorities have ordered an investigation into how the arrangements were approved and whether workplace equality rules were breached.
The Eiffel Tower’s operating company acknowledged that the delegation had asked for arrangements limiting interactions with women and said such conditions should not have been accepted. BAPS, however, said the visit was coordinated mainly for logistical reasons and denied that anyone was intentionally barred because of gender. The organisation apologised for any pain or inconvenience caused. French political leaders and employee unions said public institutions and workplaces must uphold gender equality, regardless of religious customs. The controversy has therefore become a wider debate over how private religious practices should be accommodated at major public landmarks without compromising employee rights.
The Paris incident has also renewed attention on earlier legal scrutiny involving BAPS in the United States. A federal investigation linked to allegations of worker exploitation, caste discrimination and labour trafficking during construction of the BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham temple in New Jersey began in 2021. However, that U.S. Justice Department investigation was closed in September 2025 without criminal charges, while separate civil claims continued. Available credible reporting does not establish that BAPS is currently under a U.S. investigation for “extremism.” For accurate reporting, the Eiffel Tower gender controversy should therefore be distinguished from the earlier U.S. labour-related allegations.
