Asad Khan, a resident of Sagar district in Madhya Pradesh, embraced Sanatan Dharma after arriving in Kashi. His purification and religious rituals were performed according to Vedic rites on a boat in the Ganges River, in the presence of 21 Brahmins on Monday.
Asad Khan was purified by Brahmins and given a new name, Atharva Tyagi. Sudhir Singh, the president of Hanuman Sena, said that the ceremony was held in the Ganga River in front of Assi Ghat. Atharva’s family had adopted another religion under pressure a long time ago. He had long desired to embrace Sanatan Dharma.
Atharva contacted Brahmins and the Hanuman Sena in Kashi through social media and discussed performing the rituals for his return to the faith.
Alok Yogi, who performed the rituals, said that Asad was first purified, and then, after the puja, he was given his new name, Atharva Tyagi, marking his return to the faith.
According to Atharva, he is an engineer and a resident of Madhya Pradesh. His entire family lives in the Sagar district and still follows Islam.
Atharva said that since childhood, he used to visit temples and perform prayers, but as he grew older, he faced difficulties visiting temples because of his name, Asad. Atharva is a devotee of Bajrang Bali (Lord Hanuman).
He was facing difficulties in performing prayers and, during this time, was deeply affected by the incidents happening to Hindus in Bangladesh. He said he made this decision to live his life in accordance with his beliefs.
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