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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NIA registers case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal
New Delhi (PTI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday registered a case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal, officials said.
The move came following a directive by the Union Home Ministry in this regard, they said.
In pursuance to the home ministry's order, the anti-terror agency on Sunday registered a case, which was originally filed at Uttar Kashi police station, Bhangar division, Kolkata on Saturday, and took up the investigation, an NIA spokesperson said in a late night statement.
"The case pertains to recovery of 79 crude bombs and other incriminating materials by Kolkata police, which were being stored at a spot, thereby endangering human life and property," the spokesperson said.
Earlier in the day, the Election Commission had directed the West Bengal Police to launch a special drive to arrest those involved in illegal manufacturing of crude bombs in the poll-bound state, an official said.
It asserted that all cases related to the making of any such explosive would be probed by the National Investigation Agency, the official said.
The directive came after the police recovered a large number of crude bombs from the house of a person, allegedly a TMC worker, at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district, days ahead of the second and final phase of the assembly polls in the state.
The explosives were recovered during a search at the residence of Rafikul Islam following specific inputs, the official said.
The poll panel also issued a warning to senior police officers across the state over any lapse in maintaining law and order before the April 29 polling.
The first phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal was held on April 23, while the second phase will take place on April 29. Votes will be counted on May 4.
A record 93.19 per cent turnout has been recorded in the first round of polling. Bhangar will vote in the second phase.
