Bengaluru: About 250 members of 40 Muslim families from Bidhmira village in Haryana’s Hisar district embraced Hinduism on Friday and performed the last rites of a 80-year old woman according to Hindu customs. Earlier, about 35 members of six Muslim families also embraced Hinduism at Jind’s Danoda Kalan village on April 18, as reported by Times of India. 

According to a villager, these families of Bithmada used to live at Danoda Kalan village before Independence.

The website also added that Satbir, the new convert, said his mother Phooli Devi died a natural death on Friday and the Muslim families of the village decided that since they lead the Hindu way of life, they should declare themselves to be Hindus and decided to do the cremation as per Hindu rituals. Earlier, the dead were cremated according to Muslim customs, he said.

Satbir claimed that he was from Doom caste and has heard of his Hindu ancestors embracing Muslim under pressure during the time Mughal ruler Aurangzeb. Their entire village celebrates Hindu festivals but the last rites of the dead are done according to Muslim religion, he said. Asked whether there was pressure on them to convert, he denied it, saying no villager had misbehaved with anyone.