"Don't Call Me Pakistani": Slur Triggers Hyderabad Apartment Clash

It all started with an argument in an apartment complex and blew up into a major controversy when a resident called another "Pakistani".

A viral video showing a young resident confronting a man who allegedly called him a "Pakistani" at a residential complex in Hyderabad has led to police action, with a case being registered and an investigation launched.

The incident occurred at Janapriya Lakefront Apartments in Kapra, under the Malkajgiri commissionerate zone, where an argument broke out between residents and members of the apartment association. The dispute escalated when an unidentified society committee member allegedly referred to a resident as a "Pakistani" and an "illegal" occupant during a public confrontation.

The youth strongly objected to the remarks and was heard asking, "Who are you to call me a Pakistani? What proof do you have?"

In the now-viral video, he also says, "My grandfather served as a subedar in the Indian Army," while repeatedly asserting that he is an Indian.

His family members, who recorded the video, said, "We are Muslims, and they are branding us as Pakistanis, which is wrong. Police are also not doing anything."

"They are calling us Pakistanis in front of the police and the police is not doing anything," the young man is also heard saying in the video.

Several other residents of the society also gathered at the spot as the argument intensified. Police personnel present at the scene intervened and attempted to calm both sides.

Following the circulation of the video on social media and public outrage over the remarks, Kapra police registered a case based on allegations that the resident was abused and insulted by being called a "Pakistani."

Police have begun examining video footage and recording statements from those involved.

According to police, the investigation is on into the exact sequence of events and whether offences relating to intentional insult, provocation, criminal intimidation, or promoting enmity are made out. Senior police officials said appropriate legal action would be taken based on the findings of the inquiry.