Hindutva activists barge into Miss Rishikesh Pageant rehearsal, disrupt event
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 larger competitions. “We have never faced such objections before. The top five contestants from Miss Rishikesh qualify for the Miss Uttarakhand pageant. This initiative is meant to empower women, not go against any culture,” he said.
The organisers described the Lions Club as a family-based social organisation representing business and professional communities in Rishikesh.
A video of the incident, now viral on social media, shows Bhatnagar objecting to the participants’ attire, stating that it was against the “sanskriti of Uttarakhand.” The footage also shows contestants confronting him and questioning why they were being filmed. Bhatnagar is heard declaring that he would not allow such events to take place in “the city of pilgrimages.”
One of the coordinators can be heard explaining that the event had the consent of all participants and their parents. Despite the exchange, the group members continued to oppose the event.
The Miss Rishikesh pageant went ahead as scheduled on Saturday without further disruptions. Police confirmed they had not received any formal complaint and said the matter had been resolved amicably between the parties involved.
ऋषिकेश में कल का दिन हंगामों से भरा रहा। देहरादून रोड स्थित एक होटल में जहां नगर निगम की बोर्ड बैठक के दौरान पार्षदों ने विकास कार्य न होने पर एजेंडा के पर्चे हवा में उछालते हुए विरोध किया, वहीं उसी होटल के दूसरे हॉल में मिस ऋषिकेश ऑडिशन के बीच हिंदू संगठनों ने वेस्टर्न परिधानों… pic.twitter.com/o98UitNNCe
— Kumaon Jagran (@KumaonJagran) October 4, 2025
Reacting to the incident, Muskan Sharma, one of the contestants, told The Indian Express that women in the fashion industry often face unfair judgment. “Our culture cannot be defined by the clothes we wear. India is a country of diverse traditions, and everyone deserves respect. Foreign tourists visit Rishikesh every day, and we don’t ask them to change their attire,” she said, adding that such events help young women build their careers.
The Rashtriya Hindu Shakti Sangathan, registered in January 2017, describes itself as an organisation working to “protect Indian culture” and prevent “religious conversions.” The outfit had previously made headlines for raising objections over a land parcel in Muzaffarnagar, alleging links to Pakistan’s first Prime Minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, after which the property was declared “enemy property.”
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Lebanon appoints new representative for talks with Israel, rejects linkage to Iran
Beirut: Lebanon’s has moved to underline its independent position in ongoing regional developments, amid attempts to link the country to the broader conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
President Joseph Aoun, while announcing the appointment of former US ambassador Simon Karam as Lebanon’s representative in talks with Israel, made it clear that Karam would be the sole representative for Lebanon and that there would be no substitute.
The move comes in response to what the Lebanese officials see as efforts by Iran to tie Lebanon’s situation to the wider regional conflict. Iran had indicated that there would be no ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran unless it also included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Some groups, including Hezbollah and its supporters, had expressed support for linking the situations, citing concerns that the Lebanese government has limited leverage in negotiations with Israel. Lebanon is not formally a party to the conflict, and its army is considered weak.
However, others, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have opposed this approach. They view Iran’s stance as an attempt to influence Lebanon’s internal affairs and see it as undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Officials backing the government’s position say the move is aimed at reaffirming Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring that decisions about peace and ceasefire within the country are not dictated externally.
They also see it as a safeguard, so that any breakdown in talks between the US, Israel and Iran does not automatically lead to renewed conflict in Lebanon.
