Hyderabad: BJP workers vandalised a Karachi Bakery outlet in Hyderabad, India, on Saturday amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, according to a report by The Wire.
The attack occurred shortly before a ceasefire agreement was announced between the two nuclear-armed neighbours following a week of cross-border hostilities.
Wearing saffron shawls, the BJP activists reportedly stomped on Pakistani flags and chanted anti-Pakistan slogans while targeting the bakery’s signage, specifically the word “Karachi.”
Video footage showed the protesters striking the sign with sticks, expressing outrage over the bakery’s name.
The vandalism came in the wake of a deadly attack on April 22 in Pahalgam, in Indian-occupied Kashmir, which left 26 people dead.
India, without conducting a formal investigation, suggested that the attackers had “cross-border linkages,” implying Pakistani involvement. Pakistan strongly denied the allegations and called for an impartial inquiry.
The situation escalated quickly, with India launching drone strikes on Pakistani territory, resulting in civilian casualties.
The hostilities led to missile exchanges between the two countries before US President Donald Trump announced a brokered “full and immediate ceasefire.”
According to The Wire, K Balaraju, a police official, stated that the BJP workers arrived at the Karachi Bakery branch near Shamshabad, within the jurisdiction of RGI Airport Police Station, around 3 p.m. and raised objections to the name.
Although the workers attempted to damage the signboard, Balaraju confirmed that no employees were harmed and there was no serious damage to the property.
The suspects were briefly detained but released shortly after, as the bakery’s owner chose not to file a complaint.
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Established in 1953, Karachi Bakery is a long-standing institution in Hyderabad, with its name referencing the founder’s hometown in Karachi prior to the 1947 partition.
Despite repeated controversies during periods of heightened India-Pakistan tensions, the bakery has continued operating under the same name across various Indian cities.
In a separate incident, another branch of Karachi Bakery was also targeted. Protesters were reportedly seen planting Indian tricolour flags at the location, in a symbolic display of nationalist fervour.
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The repeated targeting of the bakery highlights how cultural symbols can become flashpoints during geopolitical conflicts.
