Hyderabad's Karachi Bakery vandalised. No links to Pakistan, but protesters want name changed

10 BJP workers have been booked for attacking the Karachi Bakery outlet in Hyderabad's Shamshabad on Saturday. (Image credit: @anusharavi10/X)

Days after the owners of Karachi Bakery, one of India’s most recognised names in the bakery and confectionery industry, appealed to Indians for support and clarified that the 70-year-old brand has no connections with Pakistan, one of its outlets in Hyderabad was vandalised following a backlash over its name. The incident happened on Saturday around 3 pm, and 10 BJP workers were booked for the vandalism, The New Indian Express reported.

Protests were held outside several outlets in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, with the protestors demanding the company rebrand itself instead of bearing the name of a city from an enemy nation. Viral videos of the attack on Karachi Baker's Shamshabad outlet show men with saffron scarves, carrying the Indian flag and chanting "Pakistan murdabaad" and "Bharat mata ki jai" while attacking the store. The incident has triggered widespread condemnation against the vandals and support for the company.

Tha famous Karachi Bakery in Hyderabad, founded in 1953 by Kanchand Ramnani, a Sindhi Hindu refugee from Karachi after the Partition.Yesterday, some illiterate #Chaddis vandalised the bakery while shouting 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai,' targeting it due to its 'Karachi' name.It is pic.twitter.com/r8dAWmAixb

M. Nageswara Rao IPS (Retired) (@MNageswarRaoIPS) May 11, 2025

Men calling themselves nationalists vandalising an Indian owned Karachi bakery in Hyderabad. It's a 6-decade old Indian brand founded by founded by Khanchand Ramnani.Poor Karachi bakery that has nothing to do with Pakistan becomes the victim of idiocy every single time. pic.twitter.com/XDkmtMnkgp Anusha Ravi Sood (@anusharavi10) May 11, 2025

Speaking to The Indian Express, K Balaraju, inspector, RGI Airport Police Station, said, “No employees at the bakery were harmed. No serious damage was done. We were on the spot within a few minutes of the incident and could disperse the members of the political outfit." He added that the protesters were demanding that the bakery change its name.

Karachi Bakery was founded by Sindhi businessman Khanchand Ramnani in 1953 after he migrated from Pakistan's Karachi to Hyderabad during the Partition of 1947. Since he had to leave his bakery behind, Ramani chose to name his new establishment after his former home to preserve his heritage. It began as a modest retail outlet in Moazzam Jahi Market but quickly became popular for its handmade fruit and Osmania biscuits.

"It has been 73 years. Our grandfather named it after Karachi as he came to India after Partition," the owners said in a statement. "We are a 100 percent Indian brand, founded in Hyderabad in 1953... 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."