2 min readMumbaiMar 16, 2026 06:55 AM IST
Amid flak drawn by the visuals of flasher lights atop Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde’s official vehicle, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Sunday said that red and blue flasher lights installed atop the Mayor’s and her escort vehicle have been removed.
In a move that was aimed at ending the VIP culture, the Union Cabinet in 2017 amended the Motor Vehicles Rule and banned red beacons atop government vehicles. The rule came into effect on May 1, that year.
However, earlier this week, the Mayor’s official vehicles raised eyebrows after social media posts pointed to red and blue lights installed on the vehicle’s bonnets. On March 13, activist Anil Galgali also wrote to the Mayor calling for immediate removal of the lights, which are only permitted for specific emergency services.
Following the controversy, the BMC on Saturday removed the flashing lights while also covering the designation plaque from the Mayor’s and her escort vehicle. Issuing a statement in the matter, the BMC on Sunday said, “It is clarified that vehicles are provided by the administration to office bearers after they assume office. As soon as the matter of flashing lights came to fore, the flasher lights on the vehicles were removed.”
Meanwhile, the decision on Sunday sparked a political war of words on Sunday. “How is the Mayor not aware about these rules? If she were unaware, why didn’t she understand the protocol herself? These rules were introduced by your own government and now you are going against that very decision. Couldn’t the Mayor resist the appeal of the red beacon?,” said Kishori Pednekar, former Mayor and leader of opposition in the house on Sunday.
Responding to the controversy, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the Mayor was being inappropriately targeted. “I took information in the matter and learnt that the red beacon was located on the bonnet of the vehicle. The fault does not lie with the Mayor. A previous decision clearly states that nobody should use red beacons in the state and the Mayor is well aware of this fact. She is being targeted for no reason, which is inappropriate,” Fadnavis told reporters.
