A Hindu family from Krishnaganj district in West Bengal performed the last rites ceremony for their daughter in a symbolic token after she married a Muslim man against their wishes.

She had initially left her home to be with the man and married him, according to her relatives, but was forcefully brought back by her family. She then left them and married him again, after which they cut all their ties with her.

The family said that they had earlier arranged her marriage with someone from her own religion, but she objected and married against their wishes.

To mark this, the girl’s family performed a shraddh, a traditional Hindu ritual performed after the death of a relative. To make it symbolic, it was performed 12 days after she eloped and married the Muslim man.

They burned her clothes, books and documents. Males in her family tonsured their heads, and everyone, along with the neighbours, gathered for a ritual feast.

The woman’s father, who works in Israel, is said to approve of her decision. Her mother, however, was against the union and believed her daughter’s act brought dishonour to the family.