Prominent British-Indians Rami Ranger and Anil Bhanot have been stripped of their honours in the UK. Conservative Party member Rami Ranger will have to return his Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) title while Anil Bhanot, managing trustee of Hindu Council UK will have to return his Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) title, said the official London Gazette. The decision to deprive Ranger and Bhanot was taken by forfeiture committee of the British government that keeps watch on whether an honour holder’s action brings disrepute to the British Honours System.
Why did Rami Ranger lose his Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) title?
Rami Ranger, a multi-millionaire, has lost his title. He will now have to return the insignia to the Buckingham Palace. He will no longer be able to make reference of the honour vis-a-vis his name.
Ranger got the CBE in 2016 for his contribution to British business and community service
There were complaints against Ranger, one of them also from US-based groups Sikhs For Justice (SFJ). The pro-Khalistan group has been banned in India. The complaints were connected to Ranger’s defense of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his disapproval of ‘India: The Modi Question’, the BBC documentary about Gujarat riots.
After he was stripped of CBE, Ranger expressed his displeasure and said that he will demand a judicial review of the decision.
“Today I lost my CBE for standing up against Khalistanis who wish to break up India and the BBC for producing a two-part documentary with the help of anti-Prime Minister Modi guests to imply that the PM was involved in the Gujarat riots some 20 years after the riots and for which PM Modi was exonerated by the highest court in India,” said Ranger in an official statement.
“I don’t care about the CBE, but I feel freedom of speech has been undermined and they are rewarding the wrong people, making them more powerful than upstanding citizens,” he said as quoted in media reports.
Why Did Anil Bhanot Lose His Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) Title?
Anil Bhanot has received allegations of Islamophobia. These originated from his posts on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) in 2021
“At the time our temples were being destroyed and Hindus were being attacked and killed. The BBC wasn’t covering it and I felt empathy for those poor people. I felt someone had to say something. It was similar to what is happening now but on a smaller scale. I was calling for dialogue and legislative measures. I did not do anything wrong and I have not put the honours system into disrepute,” said Bhanot as quoted by The Times of India.
He alleged that action against him denied him his right to free speech.
“Free speech is a thing of the past now in England. I am quite upset about it. Because it’s an honour, it’s political,” he said, adding, “I don’t think they looked at my representations at all.”
