A rehearsal for Miss Rishikesh pageant was disrupted on Friday when activists of an outfit, Rashtriya Hindu Shakti Sangathan, entered the venue and objected to the event saying it was “against the culture of Uttarakhand”.

Dhiraj Makhija, the director of Lions Club Royal which has been hosting the pageant for the last five years, said three members of the group entered the venue around 2 pm when contestants and choreographers were rehearsing for the event.

“One of the group members, Raghav Bhatnagar, began objecting to the clothes worn by the participants,” said Makhija.

“We have been conducting the show as part of the Lions Diwali Mela and have never faced such objections before. We are providing a platform for local women so they can compete in larger beauty pageants. The top five cont

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