PARIS: BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha has gained a cleanchit in the Eiffel Tower row. An investigation into the controversy surrounding a BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha delegation’s visit to the Eiffel Tower has found no explicit request from the Hindu organisation to exclude female employees from the visitor route.
The findings has pointed that internal communication failures and operational lapses led to women staff being sidelined, which triggering a staff strike and the monument’s day-long closure. The investigation has also resulted in the announcement that Patrick Branco Ruivo, the director general of the Eiffel Tower’s operating company, will step down by the end of the year.
— BAPS Mandir Swaminarayan Hindou de Paris (@BAPSParis) October 1, 2026
Paris probe finds no explicit request from BAPS to exclude women; Provides clean chit
BAPS Paris on October 1, Thursday welcomed the findings of the investigation, reiterating that the organisation had never asked for female employees to be hidden, removed or excluded during its delegation’s visit to the Eiffel Tower.
In a statement, BAPS said that the investigation had established that the Hindu organisation made no request for women to be excluded along the visitor route. The organisation also expressed concern for the employees affected by the incident and said it hoped the clarification would help establish a better understanding of the circumstances.
“From the outset, BAPS has consistently stated that it never asked for female employees to be hidden, removed or excluded”, the statement said. The organisation added that it hoped the findings would allow everyone involved to move forward respectfully.
According to French newspaper Le Parisien, the General Inspectorate of the City of Paris found no explicit request from the Hindu religious delegation to exclude women from the entire procession. Investigators also reportedly found no written document or email from BAPS requesting the removal of female employees during the visit.
The probe attributed the episode to a “collective dysfunction”, indicating that the incident resulted from failures in the implementation of instructions rather than an explicit written directive from the BAPS delegation to remove women staff.
The findings are significant because the controversy had triggered allegations that female employees were deliberately sidelined during the private visit by around 100 people associated with BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha.
However, the allegations led to a staff walkout and the closure of the Eiffel Tower for a day, bringing the controversy into the public spotlight in France. BAPS had previously apologised to anyone hurt or inconvenienced by the situation, while maintaining that, to its knowledge, access to the Eiffel Tower had not been denied to anyone.
The delegation was visiting France in connection with the inauguration of a Hindu temple near Paris, which was consecrated in September. BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha is a socio-spiritual Hindu faith with more than 1,300 temples across India and several regions worldwide.
Eiffel Tower operating chief to step down after internal probe
The controversy has also led to consequences for the management of the Eiffel Tower. SETE announced that its director general, Patrick Branco Ruivo, would leave his position by the end of 2026 following an internal investigation. According to the operating company, the investigation identified “operational flaws and shortcomings” that resulted in female employees being excluded from their positions during the BAPS delegation’s visit.
SETE described the outcome as “an unacceptable situation”, acknowledging that the arrangements should not have been permitted in the manner in which they were implemented. Branco Ruivo’s departure was intended to protect employees and preserve the team following the incident.
The developments followed earlier statements from SETE acknowledging that the delegation had requested arrangements intended to limit interactions with women, and that such conditions should not have been accepted. The subsequent investigation, however, found no explicit request from BAPS to exclude women from the entire procession and highlighted the role of internal communication and operational failures.
