Two British-Indian Tory (Conservative) peers Rami Ranger and Hindu Council UK managing trustee Anil Bhanot were stripped of their honours by the King of the UK on Friday.

Ranger was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), while Bhanot received the Officer of the Order (OBE).

According to an official notice published in the London Gazette on Friday, “THE KING has directed that the appointment of Raminder Singh, Baron RANGER to be a Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, dated December 31, 2015, shall be cancelled and annulled and that his name shall be erased from the Register of the said Order.”

The same order was issued for Bhanot who was appointed as OBE on June 12,  2010.

Why were the honours revoked?

Action was taken against Bhanot after a website 5 Pillars raised complaints about tweets to the Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Charity Commission. He allegedly tweeted ‘Islamophobic’ tweets where he was condemning violence against Bangladeshi Hindus in 2021. 

Meanwhile, Ranger lost his honour after complaints filed by the organization Sikhs for Justice which is banned in India. He was also accused of harassing and bullying an Indian-origin journalist Poonam Joshi on social media.

Ranger and Bhanot criticised the revocation of their honours, calling it an attack on freedom of expression. Bhanot was initially awarded the OBE for his contributions to community cohesion.

He stated that when the committee contacted him in January, he hoped the issue would be resolved, but that did not happen.

Lord Ranger said he was devastated to have been stripped of the honour and would explore various legal avenues to challenge the ‘unjust’ decision, according to BBC.

A spokesperson for Lord Ranger reportedly said the peer did not commit any crime or broke any law. They also added that many who have their awards revoked this way were associated with serious crimes.

The spokesperson also called the move a ‘sad indictment’ of the honour system, and that it was curtailing ‘basic fundamental rights of free speech and thought process,” according to reports.

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