Vijayapura: Vijayapura MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal has denied making any derogatory statement about Prophet Muhammad, clarifying that there was a misstatement during his speech at a Ram Navami event in Hubballi. "I did not speak about Prophet Muhammad. I meant to refer to Muhammad Ali Jinnah, but there was a mistake in the speed of speech," he said addressing reporters on Monday.

He alleged that members of the Congress, frustrated by their hooliganism and failure to collect their hafta (extortion) in Vijayapura are using the Prophet as an excuse to speak against me. “There is no culture of denigrating another religion in Hinduism. Our gurus and elders have not taught us that,” he said.

Responding to another controversy involving an audio clip in which he was allegedly threatened, Yatnal said the police are investigating the matter and that those behind it will soon be exposed. “No one can finish me. The Hindus of Karnataka are with me. If someone tries to finish me, the whole state will rise in protest,” he warned.

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Hyderabad (PTI): A 28-year-old married woman was set on fire allegedly by a man after she "rejected" his marriage proposal in Mahabubabad town on Tuesday, police said.

The accused, in his 40s, who runs a shop, had developed an "illicit" relationship with the woman and was suspecting that she was in contact with another person and that she was "ignoring" him.

He poured petrol on the woman when she was alone at her house and set her on fire. He then hugged her and both of them suffered injuries, police said.

They were initially shifted to Government Hospital in Mahabubabad and later admitted to another state-run Hospital in Warangal for further treatment.

As per the doctors, the woman suffered 90 per cent burns in the incident while the accused 75 per cent burns, police said.

The woman's mother, in a complaint to the police, stated that her daughter was married to a man in Gudur mandal.

Due to family disputes, the woman came to Mahabubabad along with her two children and was residing there for the past three years.

She was running a vegetable cart. The accused was already married, and his wife had passed away. He developed an"illicit" relationship with the woman, police said.

The accused allegedly forced and harassed the victim to marry him, the complainant said.

Based on a complaint, an attempt to murder case was registered in connection with the incident, police added.