The GNDU order that wasn’t

Manmeet Singh Gill

Amritsar, March 1

A decade after the authorities at Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) here stole the bikers’ thunder by banning the entry of the much prized Royal Enfield motorcycle on the campus, an RTI query posed by a local lawyer has revealed that the university had not passed any written instructions in this regard.

The university had banned the entry of the Royal Enfield bike which is very close to the heart of Punjabi men and even women in March 2013. News reports later said the university authorities had claimed that the bike was banned for its deafening sound.

However, all this time when the students and visitors were not allowed to enter the campus on a ‘Bullet’ motorcycle, the university had not issued an order regarding this in writing. For the last ten decades, Bullet lovers were forced to leave their Royal Enfield motorcycles at the entrance even as all other vehicles, including motorcycles producing high-decibel sound, were allowed to roam freely, said Ravinder Singh Mahal who had filed an application under the Right to Information Act, demanding a copy of the said order passed by the university.

Talking to The Tribune, Mahal said, “One day, I had to visit the university to meet someone for some work. The security guards did not allow me to enter on my ‘Bullet’ saying that it has been banned.” He added that he had to park the vehicle outside and walk. “It appeared to be a silly order. Why would the authorities ban a motorbike which is not banned by the State or Central government,” he said.

Mahal added that when he got the RTI reply, he was astonished to find that no written orders were passed in this regard. “It was done merely on the verbal instructions of the then vice-chancellor and his successors just followed it as a precedence,” said Mahal.

Advocate Mahal said that now he plans to move a competent court. “The reason is arbitrary and without any valid reason. It is just an authoritative approach,” he said.

Well, advocate Mahal, ‘Bullet’ lovers would surely love you for that!