'This is not our culture'; models participating in beauty pageant stopped during ramp walk

RISHIKESH: It has been alleged that several models were stopped and threatened by the workers of a right-wing group for allegedly wearing short clothes during the rehearsal of a beauty pageant in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. The models were allegedly stopped by the workers of Rashtriya Hindu Shakti Sangathan. The protest took place under the leadership of the organisation's state president Raghavendra Bhatnagar.

The incident occurred during the rehearsal of the beauty pageant organised by Lions Club Rishikesh on Friday. The models, wearing western outfits, were taking part in a ramp walk when the protesters stormed into the venue and stopped them. Following this, both groups engaged in a verbal dispute. The video of the incident is now circulating on social media.

#ऋषिकेश में MISS RISHIKESH के लिए ऑडिशन चल रहा था

हिंदू धर्म के ठेकेदार वहां पहुंच गए और कार्यक्रम बंद करने का हुक्म दे दिया. बेवकूफी के जवाब में वहां आई प्रतिभागियों ने "ठेकेदार" की जमकर खबर ली

ठेकेदारों को अब कौन बताएं कि उत्तराखंड में क्या-क्या हो रहा है? pic.twitter.com/hi1tBqDeaB

— Narendra Pratap (@hindipatrakar) October 4, 2025

In the video, Bhatnagar can be seen saying, "Do not destroy the culture of Rishikesh. This is not our culture." Following this, one of the contestants challenged the protesters to stop such clothes from being sold in shops. Meanwhile, the police said that they have not received any official complaints regarding the incident and that both sides have settled the matter through talks. According to reports, the beauty pageant was held on Saturday as scheduled earlier.