Eiffel Tower: Investigation after female staff replaced by men for religious visit - BBC News

The move saw outraged staff walk off the job on Monday, closing the French landmark for a day.

Image source, Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD/ Getty ImagesImage caption, A delegation of BAPS Hindu monks visited the Eiffel Tower on Saturday as part of a visit to Paris to open a new temple

An investigation has been launched in France after female staff at the Eiffel Tower were replaced by male colleagues for the visit of a Hindu religious group.

A delegation of around 100 people linked to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) group visited the iconic landmark in Paris on Saturday.

"Women were asked to leave their places of work" and felt "humiliated", staff union representative Diane Davoine said. The tower closed on Monday as staff went on strike to show their outrage.

BAPS - a movement whose beliefs originate in the 18th Century - strictly separates men and women, including in temple activities and building entrances.