India, Sept. 8 -- The Eiffel Tower was closed to visitors on Monday, September 7, after staff staged a walkout in protest against the treatment of female employees during a private visit by a Hindu religious delegation days earlier, workers and management said.

In a joint statement, staff, represented by the CGT trade union, said workplace instructions had led to female employees being "sidelined, replaced and rendered invisible" on the basis of their gender. Some workers were told to leave their posts and were substituted with male staff, while all female employees were instructed not to cross certain areas while the delegation was present, the statement said.

The visit involved roughly 100 people linked to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Puru...