india

Updated: Mar 01, 2019 20:43 IST

A popular restaurant in north Kerala’s Kozhikkode district, ‘Calicut-Karachi Durbar’ has been forced to cover its board on Friday following a threat from some right-wing groups, the owner of the joint said.

A couple of days back a similar incident had unfolded in Bengaluru when ‘Karachi Bakery’ in Indira Nagar was forced to hide its name board after threat from some groups.

According to the owner of Calicut Karachi Durbar, M Jamshi, two days after the Pulwama terror attack on CRPF convoy, a group of people, including BJP workers, came to his hotel and demanded that he change the name of the eatery. He said he initially ignored them but after Wing Commander Abinandan Vardhaman’s capture two days ago, he was threatened again.

“I can’t take any chance now. So I covered ‘KA’ from the board. Now it is showing Calicut-Rachi Durbar.’ If they are not happy with it, I am ready to remove the whole board,” he said.

Jamshi, a photographer by profession, said he started the hotel two years back as he’s an ardent fan of Pakistani food.

“Four years ago, I had visited the famous Karachi Restaurant in Dubai to relish its food. Its tandoor and barbeque cuisines really tickled my palette. Later I thought of starting a hotel on similar lines and we have now three outlets, including one in Bengaluru,” he said.

Jamshi runs a total of three restaurants, two of them in Kozhikode — at Pottammal and on the city’s beach — and another one in Koramangala in Bengaluru. Only the Kozhikode branches carry the Calicut Karachi Durbar name while the Bengaluru restaurant is just called Calicut Durbar. The nameplates stating ‘Karachi’ in both Kerala restaurants have been covered.

He said after tension between two neighbours subsides, he may think of restoring the Karachi name which he says has brought him luck.

However, BJP district leaders termed it a mere publicity stunt. “We have no idea who threatened him. The party has no role in it. It seems the whole drama is being enacted to gain cheap publicity. If he was threatened, he could have filed a police complaint,” said a district leader of the BJP who did not want to be identified.

Police also said no complaint has been filed in this regard till now.