With the deaths of four members of a south Mumbai family after eating watermelon , fears and rumours — from eating the fruit at night to combining it with biryani — have spread rapidly. Doctors, however, say there is no scientific basis for these claims and urge people to avoid jumping to conclusions. Dr Tushar Palve, Medical Superintendent at Cama and Albless Hospital, said there is no medical evidence to suggest that consuming biryani followed by watermelon can cause death. “In such incidents, we have to consider the likelihood of exposure to toxic substances. This could be chemical poisoning, for instance, if the fruit was contaminated externally or had an adulterant. However, the clinical presentation in this case appears unusual and we have to wait for forensic reports,” he said. How can watermelon be contaminated Watermelon can be contaminated if it has been cut and left out for too long and washed with contaminated water or sliced with an unclean kitchen knife.…