Fury As Sikh Restaurateur Is Arrested Outside His Own London Eatery After Mob Surrounds Business Over Refusal To Serve Halal Meat

A Sikh restaurant owner who says he spent months begging for help from police after being targeted with threats and vandalism was dramatically arrested outside his own London restaurant, while protesters who surrounded the business shouting threats walked free.

Harman Singh Kapoor, the owner of Rangrez, was detained by officers on Saturday, March 14, outside the eatery he had already announced would be closing following months of intimidation.

Video footage circulating online shows police leading the restaurateur away in handcuffs as a crowd gathers outside the premises.

Supporters claim Kapoor had repeatedly warned authorities that tensions were escalating after he displayed a sign in the window declaring: “Proudly we don’t sell halal.”

The message was intended, he said, to reflect Sikh culinary traditions, which follow jhatka, a method of meat preparation different from halal practices.

But critics say the sign triggered an increasingly hostile campaign against the restaurant.

According to Kapoor, the trouble began shortly after the sign appeared.

He claims Rangrez was hit by waves of online abuse, fake reviews and repeated vandalism. Windows were damaged and threatening messages were left, while his family members were also targeted.

The restaurateur said the harassment intensified in recent weeks, with threats allegedly including death threats and rape threats directed at his family.

In a statement posted days before the arrest, Kapoor announced that he would be shutting the restaurant permanently.

He blamed what he described as a failure by authorities to intervene despite repeated complaints.

The situation reportedly escalated on Friday night when a group gathered outside the restaurant demanding it serve halal meat.

Witnesses claim members of the crowd surrounded the premises and shouted threats at Kapoor and his family.

Yet the following day, it was Kapoor who was taken into custody.

Footage shows police officers speaking to him outside the restaurant before placing him under arrest while onlookers film the scene.

The circumstances of the arrest have not been fully explained.

Supporters online reacted with outrage, claiming the businessman had been punished while those allegedly threatening him were not detained.

Many pointed to the irony that Kapoor had already decided to close Rangrez because of safety fears.

“Last night his business was surrounded,” one commenter wrote.

“Today the man protecting his family was the one arrested.”

Police have not yet released full details regarding the reason for Kapoor’s arrest or whether any investigations are underway into the threats reportedly made against him.

For now, the future of Rangrez appears sealed, its owner led away in handcuffs from the restaurant he says he fought for months to keep open.