They say, what’s in a name? However, some Shiv Sena workers have a problem with the word “Karachi”. On Wednesday, Shiv Sena party worker Nitin Nandgaonkar allegedly told the owner of Karachi Sweets, Bandra (W) to rename his shop. Soon after the incident, the owner covered the shop's board to avoid trouble. “No police case was lodged as the owner did not want to press any charges,” said a senior police officer.
According to a staffer at Karachi Sweets, Nandgaonkar visited the shop at around 2 pm and asked the owner to rename it. A video that went viral on social media, shared by Nandgaonkar himself, shows him asking the owner to change the name. The video shows Nandgaonkar saying, “We hate the word Karachi. It's the place of terrorists in Pakistan. Our soldiers are dying because of the terrorists. Hence, this name isn't acceptable in Mumbai and Maharashtra. You keep your name or your family name but not Karachi...we are giving you time and you change it."
The video further shows Nandgaonkar giving his contact number to the owner and assuring him assistance with the BMC to rename his shop. Other Sena workers said that they would revisit the shop after 15 days to check if it has been renamed.
On Thursday, Rajya Sabha MP and Sena leader Sanjay Raut tweeted: “Karachi Bakery and Karachi Sweets have been in Mumbai for past 60 years. They have nothing to do with Pakistan. It makes no sense to ask for changing their names now. Demand for changing their name is not Shiv Sena's official stance.”
When The Free Press Journal contacted Karachi Sweets, they said that after Nandgaonkar’s visit, they concealed the shop's board. "We have covered the board. We have not approached police as no vandalisation or misconduct was committed," said the staffer.
