Red Beacons

A man who has passed till Class 8 conned at least a dozen women of lakhs of rupees by posing as an Indian Police Service, or IPS, officer, the Delhi Police said in a statement.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday directed all her ministers to stop using pilot cars with red beacon anywhere in the state, except highways, and advised them to be very careful while signing any official document.

A Bengal minister today used a lal batti or red beacon on his car, defying a ban on the VIP status symbol ordered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A gang of around 20 men -- allegedly led by the son of a controversial Kolkata Imam who was recently in the eye of a storm over his use of a red beacon -- tried to storm the office of an Urdu newspaper yesterday to protest against its editorials and articles critical of the cleric.

A day after chief cleric of Kolkata's Tipu Sultan mosque Noor ul Barkati proclaimed he has 'permission of the British government' to use the red beacon or lal batti, a man was seen removing the beacon from his vehicle. The cleric's bizzare claims had led to at least three complaints being registered against him in police stations in and around Kolk...

Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi banned red beacons or lal battis across the country, one man says no power can make him drop it. "I have the permission of the British government," says the chief cleric of Kolkata's Tipu Sultan mosque, Noor Ul Barkati.

Defying the Centre's ban on use of red beacons, the Shahi Imam of Tipu Sultan Masjid, Maulana Noor-ur Rehman Barkati on Thursday said he is not bound by the order and as a religious leader, using it was his "right."

The Centre has allowed emergency vehicles on duty for maintaining law and order, including those of the police, defence and paramilitary forces, to use multi-coloured beacon lights having red, blue and white colours.

The blanket ban on red and blue beacon cars promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi came into effect late last night. And the Centre has tried to make sure that nobody - not even the police - can misuse the flashing lights on vehicles that have, for decades, become a glaring symbol of power, and VIP culture in India.

After Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's initial reluctance to do away with the red beacon or lal batti from his official car, in compliance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's order, one of his ministers in the Congress government has refused to fall in line with the ban that came into force yesterday.

The decision to get rid of red beacons is aimed at removing the VIP culture from the mindset of certain people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today and added that the concept should be replaced with "EPI", meaning "Every Person is Important".

Days after his government's 'ban without exception' on red beacon cars, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the it was also necessary to remove the entrenched VIP culture from people's minds. Stressing on his message that "Every Indian is special" he said, "New India is not about VIPs, But EPI" -- EPI being 'Every Person is Important'.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's order to remove the red beacon or lal batti from cars led to a scramble among Union Ministers and Chief Ministers to comply but the message has taken a week to reach Congress-ruled Karnataka. If Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had his way, his car would not have shed its lal batti even a second before May 1.

The government has no plans to cut back on security to VIPs, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said today, a day after the Centre banned the use of beacon lights atop all vehicles, except emergency vehicles like ambulances and fire brigade. "With regard to security, it is necessary in the interest of the country because important people have to be pr...

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami today removed the red beacon light from his car and said late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had set 'an example' by avoiding its use while heading the state.

A man who has passed till Class 8 conned at least a dozen women of lakhs of rupees by posing as an Indian Police Service, or IPS, officer, the Delhi Police said in a statement.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday directed all her ministers to stop using pilot cars with red beacon anywhere in the state, except highways, and advised them to be very careful while signing any official document.

A Bengal minister today used a lal batti or red beacon on his car, defying a ban on the VIP status symbol ordered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A gang of around 20 men -- allegedly led by the son of a controversial Kolkata Imam who was recently in the eye of a storm over his use of a red beacon -- tried to storm the office of an Urdu newspaper yesterday to protest against its editorials and articles critical of the cleric.

A day after chief cleric of Kolkata's Tipu Sultan mosque Noor ul Barkati proclaimed he has 'permission of the British government' to use the red beacon or lal batti, a man was seen removing the beacon from his vehicle. The cleric's bizzare claims had led to at least three complaints being registered against him in police stations in and around Kolk...

Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi banned red beacons or lal battis across the country, one man says no power can make him drop it. "I have the permission of the British government," says the chief cleric of Kolkata's Tipu Sultan mosque, Noor Ul Barkati.

Defying the Centre's ban on use of red beacons, the Shahi Imam of Tipu Sultan Masjid, Maulana Noor-ur Rehman Barkati on Thursday said he is not bound by the order and as a religious leader, using it was his "right."

The Centre has allowed emergency vehicles on duty for maintaining law and order, including those of the police, defence and paramilitary forces, to use multi-coloured beacon lights having red, blue and white colours.

The blanket ban on red and blue beacon cars promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi came into effect late last night. And the Centre has tried to make sure that nobody - not even the police - can misuse the flashing lights on vehicles that have, for decades, become a glaring symbol of power, and VIP culture in India.

After Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's initial reluctance to do away with the red beacon or lal batti from his official car, in compliance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's order, one of his ministers in the Congress government has refused to fall in line with the ban that came into force yesterday.

The decision to get rid of red beacons is aimed at removing the VIP culture from the mindset of certain people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today and added that the concept should be replaced with "EPI", meaning "Every Person is Important".

Days after his government's 'ban without exception' on red beacon cars, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the it was also necessary to remove the entrenched VIP culture from people's minds. Stressing on his message that "Every Indian is special" he said, "New India is not about VIPs, But EPI" -- EPI being 'Every Person is Important'.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's order to remove the red beacon or lal batti from cars led to a scramble among Union Ministers and Chief Ministers to comply but the message has taken a week to reach Congress-ruled Karnataka. If Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had his way, his car would not have shed its lal batti even a second before May 1.

The government has no plans to cut back on security to VIPs, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said today, a day after the Centre banned the use of beacon lights atop all vehicles, except emergency vehicles like ambulances and fire brigade. "With regard to security, it is necessary in the interest of the country because important people have to be pr...

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami today removed the red beacon light from his car and said late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had set 'an example' by avoiding its use while heading the state.