His recent controversial remark about Mahindra Thar owners seems to have landed Gurugram DGP (Director General of Police) O.P Singh in trouble. The comment has triggered a slew of strong reactions from existing owners of the SUV. Now, one of them has served the DGP a legal notice seeking a public apology over his remark, and further wanting him to take back the same...
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Sarvo Miter, the person who sent the legal notice to the top cop, is a resident of Gurugram’s Sector 102. He owns a Thar ROXX and was greatly upset by the DGP’s remark. Miter has sent the legal notice through his counsel. It seeks an unconditional written apology and a complete withdrawal of the controversial remark. Failing to do these will result in the DGP facing a defamation charge.
Miter had purchased his ROXX in January 2023. He paid around 30 lakh. In the legal notice, he claims that he had bought the vehicle due to its build quality, safety features, and reliable performance. These made it a dependable vehicle for his travel requirements. The DGP’s comment, it says, has "no factual basis or justification”. The notice further claims the remarks to be ‘derisive’ and ‘derogatory’.
"As the Director General of Police, Haryana, your words carry significant authority and influence, thereby causing grave and amplified damage to my client's reputation," - reads an excerpt from the notice. The cop’s statement is claimed to have caused this owner serious personal embarassment. As it went viral, his friends, relatives, and neighbours allegedly questioned his purchase and even made fun of him. These led to mental stress, loss of dignity, and damage to personal and social reputation.
The controversial incident happened earlier this month. The Haryana DGP held a press conference on November 8th, in which he talked about road safety and traffic violations. While explaining the processes that his department follows in checking vehicles, the DGP reportedly said that they don’t check all vehicles, but can never ignore a Thar.
"If it's a Thar, how can we let it go? Or if it's a Bullet motorcycle... all rogue elements use these two. The choice of vehicle reflects your mindset. People who drive Thars perform stunts on the road. The son of an assistant commissioner of police ran over someone while driving a Thar. He wants his son freed, and we asked him whose name the car is registered in. It's in his name, so he is the rogue element" he said, in Hindi.
"If we make a list of cops, how many will have a Thar? And whoever has it, he must be crazy ('dimaag ghuma hua hoga uska')... It's a statement. The Thar is not a car, it's a statement which says, 'this is how I am'. Okay then, suffer. You can't have it both ways. You can't indulge in hooliganism and then expect not to get caught," - the DGP added.
These remarks got many enraged. Thar owners and enthusiasts called it a sweeping generalisation. Many took to social media discussing the remarks and expressing their own respective opinions on the same. The internet soon bifurcated. One half spoke in favour of the SUV, while the other took side with the DGP, citing previous incidents involving Thar owners to back their claims.
Days after the incident, Indian actress Gul Panag came forward in support of both Thar and Royal Enfield owners. Posting pictures of her with the vehicles, she wrote on Instagram:
“I drive a Thar. I ride a Royal Enfield. Infact, several women in my family ride the Royal Enfield Bullet and Drive Thars. Across generations.
Anecdotal generalisations don’t help strengthen road safety. Thar and Bullet are iconic Indian brands admired for their capability and style, and disparaging them serves no purpose.
As someone who drives a Thar and rides a Bullet, I’m not slighted, I’ve never believed in judging a book by its cover. What truly makes laws effective is not stereotyping citizens, but ensuring a law-enforcement mechanism that inspires both respect for the law and a healthy fear of consequences. That is where our focus should be.”
The message was clear. This post got a lot of traction soon and in the next few days, we saw Thar owners uniting on various social media platforms, and expressing their collective displeasure against the DGP’s statement. Owners from different geographic, language, and cultural backgrounds came together. Miter’s action of serving a legal notice has taken the row to a whole new level...
Via NDTV