Police complaint against Barkati for defying Centre's order on red beacons

KOLKATA: A police complaint has been filed against the Shahi Imam of Tipu Sultan Masjid here, Maulana Noor-ur Rehman Barkati, for "defying" the Centre's order banning the use of red beacons on vehicles.

According to the police, the complaint was filed by one Suraj on Wednesday at Topsia police station here.

Barkati had yesterday claimed that as a religious leader, it was his "right" to use a red beacon on his vehicle.

"I am a religious leader and I have been using the red beacon for decades. I do not follow the orders of the Centre. Who are they to order me? In Bengal, only the orders of the state government are effective. I will use the red beacon. In Bengal, no one has removed it," he had told PTI.

Seeking to put an end to the "VIP culture" prevailing in the country, the Centre had decided that the red beacons would be removed from all the vehicles, including that of the prime minister, from May 1.

The Bengal unit of the BJP had come down heavily on the Imam for defying the orders of the Centre.

"From where does he (Barkati) get the audacity to defy a decision of the Centre? The state government should take action against him immediately. Just because he is from the minority community, it does not give him the right to do whatever he wants to," state BJP secretary Locket Chatterjee had said.