Chennai-born Indian-American crowned Miss India USA 2024
Washington, Dec 18: Chennai-born Indian American teenager Caitlin Sandra Neil has been crowned Miss India USA 2024 at the annual pageant held in New Jersey.
Caitlin, 19, is a second-year student at University of California, Davis.
"I want to leave a positive lasting impact on my community and focus on women's empowerment and literacy," Caitlin was quoted as saying in a media release.
Born in Chennai, India, Caitlin has been living in the USA for the last 14 years. She wants to be a web designer and also pursue a modelling and acting career.
Sanskriti Sharma from Illinois was crowned Mrs. India USA and Arshita Kathpalia from Washington won the Miss Teen India USA in the pageant organised by the India Festival Committee (IFC).
Rijul Maini, Miss India USA 2023 and Sneha Nambiar, Mrs India USA 2023 crowned Caitlin Sandra Neil and Sanskriti Sharma, respectively.
Nirali Desia of Illinois and Manini Patel of New Jersey were declared first runner-up and second runner-up in the Miss India USA competition.
Sapna Mishra of Virginia and Chinmayee Ayachit from Connecticut were named first and second runner-up in the Mrs India USA competition. Dhriti Patel of Rhode Island and Sonali Sharma were declared as first runner-up and second runner-up in the teen category, the press release said.
Forty-seven contestants from 25 states participated in the three categories of the pageant.
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'Minor incidents' do happen in such a big event: UP minister on Maha Kumbh stampede
Hardoi (UP) (PTI): Uttar Pradesh minister Sanjay Nishad on Wednesday expressed grief over the stampede in Mahakumbh Nagar and said "minor incidents" do happen in "such a big event".
Nishad is the chief of the Nishad party and fisheries minister in the Yogi Adityanath government.
"In such a big event and when there is such a huge crowd, minor incidents do happen," he said while calling it sad.
He said Chief Minister Adityanath is looking into this matter. One should take a bath wherever one finds space and one should not believe in rumours, he added.
Asked about Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav's allegation of mismanagement in Maha Kumbh, he said, he would not want to comment on it.
"The arrangements that have been made and the crowd that is there will not be anywhere else in the world. Where such big arrangements are made and such a huge crowd gathers, some small incidents take place somewhere or the other," he said.
"This incident is sad for us and I want this not to happen in the future. We people and the entire government are alert," he said.
The stampede took place in Mahakumbh Nagar in which 30 people died and 60 suffered injuries.
