HYDERABAD: At least 10 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters were booked for allegedly attacking Karachi Bakery at Shamshabad on Saturday around 3 pm.
The RGI Airport police registered a case under Section 126(2) (wrongful restraint, referring to the act of intentionally obstructing a person) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the workers.
RGI Airport Inspector K Balaraju said that the case was registered against 10 persons, including BJP town president Vamshi. The protesters did not enter the bakery but damaged its signboard. “They protested outside the bakery demanding a change of its name from Karachi,” he said.
Videos of the protest and vandalism went viral on social media on Sunday. In the videos, the protesters were seen carrying Indian flags and raising slogans like “Bharat Mata Ki Jai,” “Jai Jawan,” and “Pakistan Murdabad.” This incident occurred a few days after the bakery’s owners spoke to the media, clarifying that Karachi Bakery is a 100 percent Indian brand, founded in 1953 by their grandfather. “We are requesting the chief minister, the director general of police (DGP), and the Hyderabad police commissioner to support us. We request the government not to force a change in our brand name, Karachi Bakery,” the owners said.
Karachi Bakery was founded in 1953 by Khanchand Ramnani, a Sindhi Hindu migrant who moved to Hyderabad during the partition of India in 1947. The bakery specializes in a wide range of products, including biscuits, cakes, pastries, chocolates, macarons and several other items.
Minister decries attack
Meanwhile, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister D Anasuya condemned the attack on Karachi Bakery by BJP workers. Describing the attack as despicable, the minister assured that the state government will stand by the management of the bakery.
In a statement issued here, she said that BJP leaders have shown their true colours by attacking a small business establishment based in Hyderabad. Karachi Bakery was established by Sri Khanchand Ramnani, a Hindu family migrated during partition, she said and added that Karachi has a chain of Indian retail bakeries which operate in Gujarat from where both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah hail.
“It is evident that the BJP neither cares about the country’s interest nor the interests of Hindus. They only want to incite hatred and reap political benefit out of it,” she said. Anasuya admonished BJP workers for choosing to attack a commercial establishment run by this country’s citizens. She advised BJP to abstain from “dividing people” at a time when the country is fighting against terrorism.