The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) removed the red and blue flashing lights from the official vehicle of Ritu Tawde, the Mayor of Mumbai, along with those installed on her escort vehicle on Saturday after the matter sparked public debate. The controversy began circulating on social media earlier in the week when users questioned whether the mayor’s vehicle was authorised to use police-style flashing lights. The issue first gained attention on March 11 through a post on X by a handle that shared an image of the mayor’s car fitted with red and blue lights. The post raised concerns about whether official approval had been granted for installing such equipment on the mayor’s government vehicle.
The matter intensified two days later when Right to Information activist Anil Galgali formally objected to the use of the lights and wrote to the mayor demanding immediate clarification. In his communication, he pointed out that the installation of red and yellow flashing lights on both the mayor’s official car and the escort vehicle appeared to violate central government directives. According to Galgali, the rules clearly limit the use of such lights only to designated emergency services. He urged authorities to treat the issue seriously and ensure prompt corrective action, emphasising that unauthorised use of such signals could mislead the public and contradict the regulations governing official vehicles.
The controversy largely revolved around flashing red and blue lights installed on the front portion of the mayor’s official car, while a Scorpio escort vehicle accompanying the convoy was also equipped with similar police-style lighting. The escort vehicle generally carried the mayor’s personal assistants and protocol officer during official movements. Responding to the criticism, Mayor Ritu Tawde said she had no desire to use a beacon on her vehicle and termed the issue an administrative oversight. She stated that the civic administration should have verified the rules before providing the official vehicle and added that she simply used the car allocated to her for official duties.
Reacting to the controversy, Devendra Fadnavis, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, said an inquiry revealed that the beacon was not mounted on the roof but on the bonnet of the vehicle. He maintained that the mayor should not be held responsible for the lapse. According to him, the state government had already clarified earlier that red beacons were not to be used by officials, and the mayor was well aware of this rule. Fadnavis added that blaming Tawde without proper reason was unfair and suggested that the controversy had been unnecessarily amplified.
Civic officials later confirmed that similar flashing lights had been installed not only on the mayor’s vehicle but also on the cars assigned to the deputy mayor and the leader of the house. Following the controversy, the authorities removed all such lights on Saturday to avoid further disputes. The issue also triggered political reactions, with opposition leaders criticising the development. Kishori Pednekar, Leader of the Opposition in the civic body and a former mayor, questioned whether the move contradicted the Centre’s decision to end VIP culture and asked whether the mayor’s office was ignoring rules meant to curb such privileges.
The debate also revived discussions about the nationwide decision taken in 2017 to abolish the use of red beacons on government vehicles. The ban was introduced by the central government led by Narendra Modi to eliminate VIP culture, restricting such lights only to authorised emergency services. After the directive came into force on May 1, 2017, the red beacon had been removed from the official vehicle of then Mumbai mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar. Meanwhile, Milind Narvekar of the Shiv Sena (UBT) also commented on the controversy through a post on X, questioning what motives might be behind the criticism directed at the newly elected mayor.