Mysuru: BJP MLA from Nanjanagudu assembly constituency, Harshvardhan on Friday called on the Karnataka Health Minister Dr. Sudhakar to apologise for his remarks on Buddhism.

Speaking to reporters, Harshvardhan said, “If he wants to know the history of Buddhism, he should read about the Ashoka Kingdom and should not speak reprehensively.”

“If the opposition leaders raise the issue in the assembly, I will join them and seek the minister’s apology over his remarks,” he further added.

“Buddhism is a great religion, by virtue of its own. It is for this reason that Baba Saheb Ambedkar studied Buddhism, Muslim, and Christianity, and accepted Buddhism. The Ashoka Chakra in our national flag, the three lions in our national emblem are inspired from Buddhism. It has a long history, and is spread all over the world,” he stated.

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Mumbai (PTI): The initial report submitted by the microbiology department of a Mumbai-based state-run hospital has said no "bacterial infection" was detected in the bodies of four family members, who died after consuming watermelon recently, officials said on Wednesday.

The Dokadia family, residents of Ghari Mohalla on Ismail Kurte Road, had hosted a get-together of relatives on the night of April 25. At around 1 am (on April 26), hours after the guests had left, Abdullah Dokadia (40), his wife Nasreen (35), and daughters Ayesha (16) and Zaineb (13) ate pieces of a watermelon.

They suffered severe bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea in the early hours of April 26 and were rushed to a local hospital before being referred to the government-run J J Hospital where all four died during treatment.

After the incident, Mumbai police, forensic experts and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials visited the house and had collected samples of every food item that constituted the family's last meal, including 'chicken pulav', watermelon, water, and other foodstuffs, and sent them to the Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis.

After the post-mortem of the deceased, their viscera was preserved for chemical analysis.

As the probe is underway, the microbiology department of the state-run J J Hospital has submitted its initial report to the police.

"As per the report, no bacterial infection has been detected so far in the bodies of the victims. No bacteria was found in their blood," the official said.

The exact cause of the death will be known once the forensic science lab submits its report, he said.

"The report will also clarify whether any food items consumed by the family members during the day contained anything poisonous," the official said.