A car owned by a private company and used by a sitting MP was challaned here for installing a red beacon illegally by the police which claimed that the lawmaker had tried to "intervene" to dissuade them from taking action.

The car belongs to a private company which was being used by the MP, Satyendra Garg, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), said today, adding that action was taken after a photograph of the vehicle with the beacon was posted in a Facebook complaint.

"Their was resistance to challan but we prosecuted it for traffic violation and a fine of Rs 2,000 was realised. Now the vehicle does not have red beacon," he said.

Noting that the prosecution in the case proved a bit difficult, he said, when traffic policemen reached the company office, they were told the vehicle was being used by a sitting MP.

"We had to tell the owner it was his business to get the vehicle for prosecution. There was intervention by the MP as well but we told him that till this vehicle is in private name, we were bound to prosecute for violation.

"Our persistance succeeded and the vehicle was brought for prosecution minus red beacon. Based on Facebook image, it was prosecuted and Rs 2,000 challan paid in cash," he said.

What is important in this case, he said, was resistance to prosecution on the ground that vehicle was being used by an MP.