France's top human rights body said it would investigate criticism of efforts to relocate the city's homeless ahead of this year's Paris Olympics, AFP reported.
Some charities have accused local authorities of carrying out "social cleansing" in the capital region ahead of the games, clearing out the homeless as well as migrant camps and slums.
The transfer of people from Paris to temporary accommodation centers in rural France has sparked tensions and demonstrations in some cities and rural areas.
French human rights ombudsman Claire Hedon said she had launched an investigation into "the threat to rights and freedoms in the context of the Olympic Games".
She said she would investigate "how homeless people are sent outside Paris to accommodation centers, the way in which residential areas are being destroyed".
She questioned whether there was a policy "of making unwanted people invisible", she added.
The investigation will also look into the use of student dormitories in Paris to house members of the emergency services and other government officials during the games, which will mean around 2,000 students will have to be relocated.
Hedon will also examine the restrictions placed on demonstrations and the use of artificial intelligence crowd-monitoring software by the French police.
Its conclusions will be published in April at the earliest.
The Office for the Protection of Rights in France is an independent state institution established in 2011 whose role is to investigate possible rights violations and make recommendations to the government.
The French government has denied it has set a target of "zero homeless people" during the Olympics, saying the extra homeless accommodation will be part of the Games' legacy.
Ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, authorities in China cleared an unknown number of beggars, vagrants, and homeless people from the country's streets, with many sent back to their home regions, it was reported at the time.
Rio de Janeiro's homeless were pushed out of tourist areas in the middle of the night when the city hosted the 2016 games.
The Paris Olympics will be held from July 26 to August 11, followed by the Paralympic Games from August 28 to September 8. /BGNES
