Paris: The operating company that manages the Eiffel Tower announced on Tuesday that its head will step down at the end of the year following a controversy over female staff being removed from their posts during a visit by a Hindu religious delegation.

Patrick Branco Ruivo, who has served as Director General of the Paris landmark since 2018, will vacate his post at the end of the year. The decision follows an internal investigation by operating company SETE, which revealed that "operational flaws and shortcomings" during the visit resulted in the "unacceptable" removal of female workers.

The incident occurred on September 5 during a visit by the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) spiritual movement. The decision to sideline female staff sparked a employee walkout, forced the monument to close for a day, and triggered widespread political outrage across France over violations of state secularism and gender equality.

Following the incident, SETE acknowledged that the Hindu delegation had requested arrangements to limit "interactions with women" and admitted that "these conditions should not have been accepted".

Leadership transition and equality protocols

SETE Board Chairman Ariel Weil confirmed the upcoming change in leadership, stating: "The coming months will allow us to prepare for the leadership transition under the best possible conditions."

Weil called for structural reforms within the organisation, demanding the creation of a "dedicated protocol department" alongside new gender equality training initiatives and operational guidelines.

The Eiffel Tower, owned by the City of Paris, welcomes nearly seven million visitors annually.

Socialist Mayor of Paris Emmanuel Grégoire previously condemned the treatment of staff as an "absurd, unjust and unacceptable decision" and initiated two independent inquiries into the matter.

A source close to the mayor told AFP on Tuesday that the city "acknowledged Patrick Branco Ruivo's responsible decision" and praised "his commitment to the Eiffel Tower and SETE" during his tenure since late 2018.

"It is now imperative to prepare for the leadership transition under the best possible conditions and to fully learn from the situation so that such unacceptable incidents cannot happen again," the source added.

Background on the incident

The BAPS movement—which had opened its first major temple near Paris that same weekend—issued an apology for "any pain or inconvenience caused" by the visit's arrangements.

Eiffel Tower staff released a collective statement detailing the directives issued on the day of the visit, which led to "female employees being sidelined, replaced and made invisible because of their sex" during the delegation's presence.

"Some were asked to leave their posts and withdraw to other areas. In some posts they were replaced by men. And all female employees were instructed not to go through or cross certain areas while the delegation was present," the staff statement added. (AFP)