Kozhikode: A popular restaurant here bearing the name ‘Karachi Durbar’ has left a sour taste in the mouths of a section of people. All because of the Pulwama terror attack and its aftermath.
The restaurant has faced the wrath of BJP workers who have asked it to change its name. Located at Pottammal, the restaurant has been serving exclusive Pakistani cuisine to foodies for the last few years.
Restaurant owner Jamshi Udayas said that a group of BJP workers visited the restaurant soon after the Pulwama terror attack and asked him to change its name. “As we ignored their warning, they again approached us two days ago after Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured by Pakistan,” said Udayas, a native of Kozhikode, who had also opened a second outlet at Thondayad Bypass.
“We covered the first few letters of the name ‘Karachi’ to avoid any unpleasant incident at our restaurant. We started off in Kozhikode on a very good note, as the people here love the Pakistani food, especially the grilled varieties,” he said.
BJP state president P.S. Sreedharan Pillai told Deccan Chronicle said that this was wrong information. “No BJP worker will get involved in such an act. After all why should the name of a restaurant bother us when our mission is for the country,” he said.
A similar incident was reported from ‘Karachi Bakery’ outlet in Bengaluru. The restaurant manager received a threat call to ‘blast the store’ if the word ‘Karachi’ was not removed from the signboard. The caller identified himself as Vicky Shetty, an ‘underworld don.’ Following this, the bakery covered the entire name on the board.
