New Delhi: For nearly two decades, Harman Singh Kapoor prepared food at his 125-seater restaurant, Rangrez, in London’s Hammersmith. Now, the eatery is shutting down. On Tuesday, Kapoor announced the closure of his restaurant.
“Rising costs, ongoing online harassment, repeated disturbances and attacks by Pakistanis and a lack of proper support from the Met Police have made it impossible to continue,” Kapoor wrote in a post on X.
The restaurateur, however, is not bogged down by the closure of his business. If anything, he is raring to start his new innings as an activist.
“This is the start of my new chapter. Now I am going to devote myself to full-time activism. I do not want to join a political party because it often becomes about votes. But will make sure radicals do not have a place in the UK,” Kapoor told ThePrint.
The Hammersmith eatery is the second restaurant owned by Kapoor to shut down. Another branch in Ealing also got closed after being similarly targeted because of his refusal to serve Halal food and his views opposing the Khalistani movement, said Kapoor.
“They have issued rape threats to my wife and daughter, we have had death threats, and also attacked. I lost almost two million pounds in the restaurant. But I am a fighter,” said Kapoor, claiming that despite repeated attacks, the London police did not take any action and that they give preferential treatment to Pakistani nationals.
‘Pressure tactics’
Kapoor migrated 30 years ago from Afghanistan to the UK, seeking asylum. He had to build his business from the ground up and now has a portfolio of properties, including commercial ones. Kapoor started posting videos on social media platforms, opposing the Khalistani movement and against Pakistanis.
Kapoor, who lives 15 minutes away from the restaurant with his wife and two children, said he has been subjected to a variety of pressure tactics over his views.
“My car’s windshields have been broken multiple times, my restaurant is given fake reviews by people who have never even set their foot inside. They come and shout outside my restaurant, upsetting customers. Both Pakistanis and Khalistanis have tried everything to make me bow down to them,” said Kapoor.
Rangrez has 3.9 stars out of 5 on Google, and has 851 reviews posted online.
“Worst curry ive ever had. Bad management and there was hair in my pilau rice. Staff was very rude. They are racist towards all muslims yet they are indian themselves wanting a reform lol,” reads one review online. The person, with the username Farrukh, also rated the restaurant one out of 5 on food, service, and atmosphere.
Rangrezz’s public account responded to it.
“This review is not just misleading — it is blatantly fabricated. The photo you posted does not show our food. It appears to be Chinese noodles, not Pilau rice — and even the cutlery in the image is not the type we use in our restaurant. In other words, you uploaded evidence from somewhere else entirely and tried to pass it off as our restaurant,” reads the official response.
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Putting up a fight
Kapoor posts regularly on social media platforms, with some of his posts targeting Muslims and Pakistanis. His Instagram page also contains posts critical of the UK police and Prime Minister Keir Starmer, including a morphed video where Starmer is dressed in a red bikini.
One picture on Facebook shows Kapoor walking down the street with his pet dog. “Happy Ramadan,” reads the caption.
The restaurateur also refers to Pakistanis as “inbreds”, which he claims is a fact.
He also documents attacks on his house. In one video, a masked man vandalises his car parked outside his home in London. He was out of the country at that time.
“This is not an isolated concern. Law-abiding citizens are being abandoned, while criminals act with impunity. The silence and inaction are unacceptable,” Kapoor wrote, urging immediate police action.
In a recent video posted by Kapoor on Instagram, “Proudly we don’t sell halal” can be seen written on the glass door of his restaurant.
“They want halal food, and are targeting me for it. But why should I sell it? It is not a law in the UK. I have been to Dubai, and other parts of the Middle East, where it’s a law, and I respect it. But I cannot be forced to sell it here,” said Kapoor.
He also mentioned a halal food news website, Feed The Lion, which had featured a story on him in 2020, with the headline Rangrez owners accused of Islamophobia over Dal Makhani.
The blog talks about Kapoor’s Facebook post where he explained how to distinguish between north Indian and Bangladeshi restaurants. The post emphasised how a good dal makhani is the true identity of a north indian restaurant.
“Most Indian restaurants here are run by Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. That is why you can never find authentic dal makhani. We serve butter chicken and lamb pulao, and I make them. We even customize, if someone requests. I also tell people that we prepare our food fresh, and that requires waiting,” said Kapoor.
The restaurant, which operates between 5-10 pm every day, had been witnessing a drop in footfall over the reviews and demonstrations. Anticipating the closure, Kapoor directed his employees to start looking for work elsewhere.
Born to a Hindu mother and Sikh Father, Kapoor goes to gurudwara regularly and also believes in the tenets of Hindu philosophy. He said that his ordeal, and what his family has been subjected to, has made him trust God and Sanatan Dharama even more.
“They might be feeling happy that I have lost money. But money does not matter. Now I am free and am coming for them. Nothing can stop me — my children have urged me to fight, and I will,” said Kapoor.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)