Rami Ranger’s CBE Revoked; Major Rajindar Singh Dhatt Awarded MBE

On 6 Dec, King Charles III officially revoked the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) awarded to Conservative peer Rami Ranger following findings that he harassed an Indian journalist and made derogatory comments toward Sikhs and Pakistanis. The removal of his CBE honor was announced in the London Gazette, after the Forfeiture Committee determined that his actions ran counter to the spirit of the award he received in 2016 for services towards business and community cohesion. Ranger, who has donated approximately GBP 1.5M to the Conservative Party since 2009, had been briefly stripped of the Conservative whip in 2023 following a House of Lords Standards Commissioner’s ruling that he harassed journalist Poonam Joshi. Although he apologized, the Forfeiture Committee also considered his social media posts and comments targeting Sikhs and Pakistanis. Despite Ranger’s apology and his team’s insistence that he committed no crime and was exercising free speech, the committee concluded that the combination of his behavior warranted the withdrawal of his honor, given that it was granted for promoting community harmony. Meanwhile, King Charles III honored 103-year-old Havildar Major Rajindar Singh Dhatt with Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) at Windsor Castle on 10 Dec for his distinguished services to the South Asian Community in the UK. Born in 1921 in pre-partition Panjab, Dhatt joined the British Army in World War II and moved to Hounslow, UK, in 1963. Dhatt co-founded the Undivided Indian Ex-Servicemen’s Association to unite and support British-Indian veterans.