In a politically charged incident, members of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vandalised a branch of Karachi Bakery in Hyderabad, demanding a change to its name amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, according to Telangana police.
The incident occurred around 3pm on Saturday at the Shamshabad outlet of the renowned bakery chain. “No employees at the bakery were harmed, and no serious damage was reported,” said K. Balaraju, inspector at the RGI Airport Police Station. He added that police responded promptly and dispersed the mob.
This is not the first time Karachi Bakery has faced such hostility. Similar protests broke out at its Banjara Hills branch last week, where demonstrators planted Indian tricolour flags outside the store.
Founded in 1953 at Hyderabad’s Mozamjahi Market by a family that migrated from Karachi during the Partition, the bakery has since become an iconic brand in India. It is fully Indian-owned and operated, with 24 outlets in Hyderabad and branches in other major cities including Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai. Its fruit and Osmania biscuits are especially popular.
“We are an Indian establishment. We cannot be branded Pakistani,” said a bakery manager, speaking to The Indian Express.
Following the attack, the owners — Rajesh and Harish Ramnani — issued a plea for protection to Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy.
This isn’t the first time the bakery has been targeted. During the aftermath of the Pulwama attack in 2019, it was also vandalised by right-wing protestors.
The RGI Airport Police have booked the vandals under Sections 126(2) and 324(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for wrongful restraint and property damage. “The bakery’s signage was damaged, but no arrests have been made so far,” Inspector Balaraju confirmed.
