Hyderabad’s iconic Karachi Bakery became the target of protest on Saturday as a group of self-proclaimed social workers vandalised the bakery’s Shamshabad outlet, demanding a name change. The incident, which occurred around 3 PM, is part of a broader trend where businesses with names perceived as foreign have come under fire.
According to police, the group defaced the bakery’s signage and attempted to intimidate staff while raising slogans demanding the removal of the name “Karachi” — referencing the Pakistani city. However, no staff were injured and no major property damage was reported.
“We reached the spot within minutes and dispersed the group,” said K Balaraju, inspector at RGI Airport Police Station. “The individuals involved have been identified and a case has been registered under Sections 126 (2) and 324 (4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).”
This isn’t the first such incident. Just last week, the Banjara Hills branch of Karachi Bakery was symbolically targeted with Indian flags being placed at its entrance.
Established in 1953 by a family who migrated from Pakistan during the Partition, Karachi Bakery is a proud Indian business now operated by Rajesh and Harish Ramnani. It is famous for its fruit biscuits and Osmania cookies, with 24 branches in Hyderabad and presence in major cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai.
“We are an Indian enterprise. It is unfair to label us as Pakistani,” a manager from the bakery said.
The bakery has faced similar backlash in the past, notably in 2019 after the Pulwama attack, when its outlets were threatened. The owners had then approached the government for protection.
The latest incident is being seen as part of a recurring pattern of protests against businesses bearing names perceived — however inaccurately — as foreign, amid heightened political and social rhetoric around nationalism.
