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Eiffel Tower Chief Resigns Amid Uproar Over Women Staff Removal During BAPS Visit
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Firstpost•29-09-2026, 21:18
Eiffel Tower Chief Resigns Amid Uproar Over Women Staff Removal During BAPS Visit
- •Patrick Branco Ruivo, head of the Eiffel Tower operating company SETE, will step down following an internal investigation into the removal of female employees during a private visit by a Hindu religious delegation.
- •The controversy arose after female staff were reportedly asked to leave their workstations and replaced by male employees during a September 6 visit by the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS).
- •SETE acknowledged "unacceptable" arrangements and "operational flaws and shortcomings" in organizing the visit, which led to a staff protest and temporary closure of the Eiffel Tower.
- •The company admitted the visiting delegation requested arrangements to reduce interaction with female employees, a condition SETE later said should never have been accepted.
- •BAPS Paris expressed regret over the distress caused, stating the visit was planned to avoid disrupting regular visitors and reaffirming commitment to "universal values of mutual respect and service."
Key Questions Answered
Patrick Branco Ruivo, the head of SETE, is stepping down at the end of 2026 after an internal investigation revealed operational flaws regarding the removal of female staff during a private visit by a BAPS delegation.
A staff walkout occurred on September 8 after female employees were asked to leave their workstations and were replaced by male colleagues during a private visit by a BAPS religious delegation on September 6.
BAPS Paris expressed regret over the controversy and any distress caused, stating that the early-morning visit was planned with management to avoid disrupting regular visitors without demanding anyone's exclusion.
