Students of the Keladi Shivappa Nayaka University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences staged a protest on August 6, closing the gate of the campus in Shivamogga, urging the government of Karnataka not to consider engineering graduates for recruitment to the posts of Agriculture Officer (AO) and Assistant Agriculture Officer (AAO).

The stir is part of a wider agitation that has gripped agricultural university campuses across the State against a Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) notification that opened the AO/AAO posts to candidates with a B.E./B.Tech degree in biotechnology, in addition to those with a B.Sc. (Agriculture) degree. The notification also cleared candidates with a B.Sc. (Agriculture) from Rai Technology University, a private university, to apply.

Students staged a dharna in front of the university’s main gate on Savalanga Road, and prevented university staff, professors and non-teaching staff from entering the campus. Senior faculty members were left standing on the road as students raised slogans demanding justice.

The students argued that engineering graduates had not undergone field training as part of their degree programme, and, if recruited to posts that require agricultural knowledge, would not be in a position to guide farmers. They said there was no logic in allowing engineering graduates to become agriculture officers.

Sadashiva Thippimath, a Ph.D. holder, said allowing engineering graduates and those who studied in private agricultural colleges would set a bad precedent. He said many of those protesting were themselves due to write the examination on August 9, but joined the stir because they understood the impact of the government’s move.

“In the initial notification, engineering students were not allowed. However, the notification was revised to allow them. We are opposing the move. The government should consider our demand,” he said.

Those who took part in the protest included Ph.D. scholars, M.Sc. degree holders, graduates and current students.

Abhinava T.S., a first-year B.Sc. student, said he joined the protest in support of his seniors, as he considered it an injustice to those who had chosen to study agriculture.