No ‘bhaigiri’ or ‘ruffiangiri’: Daman Collector lines up owners of Thars and Fortuners, makes them take road safety oath

The Daman district administration has made the owners of Mahindra Thar and Toyota Fortuner SUVs take a vow to drive their vehicles safely.

During a road safety campaign organised in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu on Wednesday (September 9) evening, the District Collector of Daman, Saurabh Mishra, said the Thar was not a vehicle for “bhaigiri” or “ruffiangiri” (don or ruffianly behaviour).

“Thar means responsibility”, and Thar owners should be citizens who extend help to women on the road and to victims of road accidents, he said.

Both the Thar and the Fortuner are large, muscular vehicles, and the Thar, especially, has come to be associated in popular perception with fatal road accidents and reckless driving around the country.

Mishra urged Thar owners to post this message on social media, and tag the chairman of the Mahindra Group, Anand Mahindra. “The reason behind doing such an activity is that the Thar company owner should carry out a campaign nationwide about his car,” Mishra told the gathering.

I think India needs this kind of "schooling" more than another driving lesson! 😄Commendable move by the Daman Collector. Making Thar and Fortuner owners take an oath to drive safely, sometimes a little public pledge may work better than a thousand road signs! https://t.co/ihAW7hqQ9c

Late on Wednesday night, the Department of Information and Publicity of the UT administration posted a video of “Thar and Fortuner owners” taking the “Road Safety Pledge” on X, and tagged Mahindra.

Earlier in the day, hundreds of Thars and Fortuners were parked in neat rows in an open field in Daman, and their owners were made to stand in lines in front of the vehicles. Collector Mishra and several police officers assembled on a small stage and addressed them.

The owners and drivers were made to walk around the field and circle the vehicles, holding placards with road safety slogans printed on them. They were then recorded taking a safety oath in Hindi.

The oath said: “I pledge to not over-speed or drive my vehicle negligently. I will not do stunts, racing, or drifting on the roads with my vehicle, and I will not allow others to do so either. I will not drive my vehicle while I am inebriated.”

The owners and drivers also pledged not to make unauthorised modifications to their vehicles such as adding silencers or lights, changing their wheels, or putting black plastic film on the windows. “I will avoid unnecessary honking and I will follow rules and regulations,” they pledged.

There is growing conversation around the country linking the Thar with an alleged culture of rash and dangerous driving without concern for lives or safety. Social media is full of reels showing speeding, swerving, and drifting Thars, intended apparently to project an image of dashing invincibility for the drivers and owners of the vehicle.

In November 2025, Haryana’s then director general of police O P Singh said in Gurugram: “The choice of car shows the mindset of a person. The Thar is not a car, it’s a statement which says this is how I am.”

To be sure, there is no major Indian study linking the Thar or any other SUV with the incidence of rash driving or accidents. The National Crime Records Bureau does not list vehicle type in its accident data.

In his speech, Collector Mishra told the vehicle owners: “I appeal to you to tag Anand Mahindra ji through social media so that he himself or his office people know about the drive that we are carrying out here. He (Mahindra) should also be motivated by our work and do a campaign for Thar… A woman walking on the pavement should actually feel safe if she sees a Thar pass by. If an accident occurs, a passing Thar or Fortuner will take the injured to hospital. Through such a campaign, the association of the Thar with bhaigiri or mafiagiri can be stopped.”

Reached for a comment on the Collector’s event and the appeal to Mahindra about the vehicle and its purported image, a spokesperson for the Mahindra Group said she would check. She had not reverted by press time.

After the event, Daman Deputy Collector Priyanshu Singh said: “All Thar and Fortuner vehicles registered with Daman RTO were invited to the Sankalp Yatra organised by the Daman district administration. People were asked to remove unauthorised items such as tints on windshields or windows, modified tyres, or changed sound systems. The message was sent that strict legal action would be taken against everyone doing bhaigiri and mafiagiri. It is our appeal to the people of Daman: drive safely and ensure that others on the road do not get injured.”

Praful Patel, Administrator of the Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, and Lakshadweep, expressed his support for the road safety drive.

“This afternoon, I came to know about the Daman Collector’s awareness drive for owners of Thar and Fortuner vehicles. We want to keep our area free from mafiagiri, and such steps should be appreciated,” Praful Patel told The Indian Express on Thursday evening.

“Our attempt is to keep our area crime-free so that tourists can visit and roam freely and enjoy with their families. This also helps local people get business and generate revenues,” Praful Patel said. He said that he was not aware of the Collector’s suggestion to tag Anand Mahindra on social media posts.

Sources in the Daman BJP said that on August 27, Jignesh Patel, the BJP general secretary for Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, had taken out a rally in Daman town comprising more than 100 Thar vehicles, seemingly to celebrate the birthday of Praful Patel on August 28.

According to these sources, these Thars were all black in colour, had tinted windows and modified silencers, and had caused huge traffic congestion in Daman.

Once videos of the Thar rally went viral on social media and drew significant criticism, Praful Patel, who was not in Daman on his birthday, reportedly expressed his displeasure with the alleged “celebration” organised by Jignesh Patel.

Kamal Saiyed is a senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, providing extensive, on-the-ground coverage from Surat and the broader South Gujarat region and the Union territories of Daman, Diu & Dadra Nagar Haveli. With a reporting career at the publication spanning back to 2007, he has established himself as a high-authority voice on the industrial, social, and political pulse of one of India’s fastest-growing urban hubs. Expertise Industrial & Economic Beat: Based in the "Diamond City," Saiyed offers expert reporting on the diamond and textile industries. His work tracks global market shifts (such as De Beers production changes), local trade policies, and the socio-economic challenges facing the millions of workers in Surat’s manufacturing hubs. Civic & Infrastructure Coverage: He consistently reports on urban development and public safety in Surat, including: Traffic & Urban Planning: Monitoring the city's 13-fold increase in traffic violations and the implementation of new municipal drives. Public Safety: Investigative reporting on infrastructure failures, fire safety NOC compliance in schools and commercial buildings, and Metro rail progress. Political Reporting: Tracking the shifting dynamics between the BJP, Congress, and AAP in South Gujarat and the neighboring Union Territories (Daman, Diu, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli). Crime beat: Armed with a good source network Saiyed has been able to bring out the human side of crime stories in his region ... Read More