Muskan Sharma stood up to men who tried to bully her over her clothes - and went on to win hearts and a beauty pageant.

The 23-year-old, who was crowned Miss Rishikesh 2025 last week in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, told the BBC that even though it was a small local pageant, "it made me feel like Miss Universe".

Sharma's win has made headlines in India as it came after a viral video that showed her spiritedly arguing with a man who barged into their rehearsals just a day before the 4 October contest.

Sharma, who "wanted to be a model and participate in a pageant since I was in school", said the intruders came in just as they broke for lunch.

"We were sitting around, chilling, having a laugh when they walked in," she said.

The footage showed Raghavendra Bhatnagar, district head of a Hindu group called Rashtriya Hindu Shakti Sangathan, objecting to skirts and western dresses Sharma and other contestants were wearing.

"Modelling is over, go back home," Bhatnagar is heard telling them. "This is against Uttarakhand's culture."

Sharma refuses to back down. "Why don't you shut the shops which sell them [Western clothes]?"

She then tells him that he should expend his energies on things that are worse than women's clothing - social evils such as drinking and smoking.

"There's a shop right outside that sells cigarettes and alcohol. Why don't you shut that down? First stop those things and I will stop wearing these clothes," she says.

The man snaps at her saying "don't tell me what to do". Likewise, she retorts. "If you have the right to choose, then so do we. Our opinion matters as much as yours," she says.

As the argument continues, Sharma is joined by some of the other contestants and organisers and........

© BBC