London: Two prominent figures from Britain’s Hindu community have lost their CBE and OBE honors, awarded by the British monarch, following allegations of harassment and bullying of a journalist and human rights activist. Among them is Lord Rami Ranger, a Conservative Party member of the House of Lords and a well-known businessman. He was awarded the Commander of the British Empire (CBE) honor in December 2015. The second individual is Anil Bhanot, a chartered accountant and managing trustee of the Hindu Council UK, who received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) honor in 2010 for his contributions to the Hindu community.
The revocation of Lord Ranger’s CBE has garnered more media attention than that of Anil Bhanot. Lord Ranger, a significant figure in the British-Asian business community, was honored with the CBE by Queen Elizabeth II in December 2015 for his contributions to British business and the Asian community. However, allegations surfaced that he had bullied and harassed a journalist on social media.
In October last year, journalist and women’s rights activist Poonam Joshi criticized Lord Ranger for inviting controversial Hindu guru Nithyananda to a Diwali event hosted in the House of Lords at his invitation. In response, Lord Ranger allegedly harassed and bullied Joshi on social media. Though he later publicly apologized, the incident led to an investigation by the UK Cabinet Office’s Forfeiture Committee, tasked with determining whether he should retain his honor. The committee concluded that his conduct brought disrepute to the honor, prompting King Charles III to issue a directive revoking Lord Ranger’s CBE.
Lord Ranger has expressed his intention to challenge this decision legally. Earlier, following the publication of a report by the Lords Commissioner for Standards, he had been temporarily suspended from the Conservative Parliamentary Party but was reinstated in November this year.
Since 2009, Lord Ranger has donated nearly £1.5 million to the Conservative Party. Former Prime Minister Theresa May appointed him to the House of Lords in 2019, shortly before leaving office at 10 Downing Street.
