NEW DELHI, June 28 (Reuters) - The women's wing of

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party on Friday

urged the National Commission for Women to launch an

investigation after Reuters reported that Apple ( AAPL ) supplier Foxconn

rejects married women from iPhone assembly jobs in the country.

"It is imperative to conduct a thorough investigation into

these claims and ensure that the rights of women employees at

Foxconn Hon Hai are protected," Vanathi Srinivasan, national

president of Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) women's wing wrote

in a letter to the Commission, posted on X.

In response to the letter, chairperson of the National

Commission for Women, Rekha Sharma, wrote on X: "we are doing

the needful." She did not elaborate.

Apple ( AAPL ) and Foxconn did not immediately

respond to a request for comment.

A Reuters investigation published on Tuesday found that

Foxconn has systematically excluded married women from jobs at

its main India iPhone plant near Chennai in Tamil Nadu state, on

the grounds they have more family responsibilities than their

unmarried counterparts.

Foxconn hiring agents and HR sources interviewed by Reuters

cited family duties, pregnancy and higher absenteeism as reasons

why Foxconn did not hire married women at the plant.

In the letter, Srinivasan referred to the reported hiring

practices of Foxconn as a "grave issue".

"It has come to our notice through various media sources

that Foxconn has adopted discriminatory practices against

married women," Srinivasan wrote.

The letter also stated that it had come to the knowledge of

the BJP's women wing that women employees at Foxconn are not

even allowed to use the washroom during working hours, and those

who stay in hostels are not permitted to take leaves.

Srinivasan's letter did not elaborate on these points.

Earlier this week, Modi's labour ministry said it has

requested a detailed report from the Labour Department of Tamil

Nadu on the matter.

In response to questions from Reuters for its Tuesday

report, Apple ( AAPL ) and Foxconn acknowledged lapses in hiring

practices in 2022 and said they had worked to address the

issues. All the discriminatory practices documented by Reuters

at the Sriperumbudur plant, however, took place in 2023 and

2024. The two companies didn't address the 2023 and 2024

incidents.

Apple ( AAPL ) said that "when concerns about hiring practices were

first raised in 2022 we immediately took action and worked with

our supplier to conduct monthly audits to identify issues and

ensure that our high standards are upheld," adding that all its

suppliers, including Foxconn, hire married women.

Foxconn said it "vigorously refutes allegations of

employment discrimination based on marital status, gender,

religion or any other form."

(For full story on Reuters.com, please click https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/foxconn-apple-india-women/)

(Reporting by Munsif Vengattil and Aditya Kalra)