Rishikesh: A rehearsal for the upcoming Miss Rishikesh beauty pageant was briefly disrupted on Friday afternoon when members of a right-wing group, Rashtriya Hindu Shakti Sangathan, entered the venue and objected to the event, claiming it was “against the culture of Uttarakhand.”

According to organisers, three members of the outfit arrived at the venue around 2 p.m. while contestants and choreographers were practising. “One of the group members, Raghav Bhatnagar, began objecting to the clothes worn by the participants,” said Dhiraj Makhija, director of the Lions Club Royal, which has been conducting the Miss Rishikesh pageant for the past five years.

Makhija said the event is held annually as part of the Lions Diwali Mela and aims to provide a platform for local women to progress to lar

See Full Page