Published Aug 07, 2026 | 11:10 AM ⚊ Updated Aug 07, 2026 | 11:10 AM
Students from Karnataka's five agricultural universities participated in the protest at Freedom Park.
Synopsis: Hundreds of agriculture students from Karnataka’s five agricultural universities gathered at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park to protest the inclusion of BE/B. Tech graduates in AO/AAO recruitment.Tech graduates in AO/AAO recruitment. The government responded by postponing the examination and announced a review committee with student representation. Protesters, however, vowed to continue their agitation until their demands are met.
Freedom Park turned into a sea of green on Thursday, 6 August, as hundreds of agriculture students from across Karnataka converged in Bengaluru, marking a statewide mobilisation against the AO/AAO recruitment notification.
Arriving on buses, early morning trains and college convoys, they transformed the park into a sea of placards and slogans after a month-long campaign against the Karnataka Examination Authority’s decision to allow BE and B.Tech graduates to compete for Agriculture Officer (AO) and Assistant Agriculture Officer (AAO) posts.
The recruitment drive, the first in nearly nine years for over 900 AO/AAO posts, triggered widespread anger among agriculture students, who argue that the posts should remain exclusive to graduates trained under the specialised ICAR-prescribed agriculture curriculum.
Rutik K, a student from GKVK, said Thursday’s turnout was the culmination of weeks of coordination across campuses.
“It was a month-long process. Our fight isn’t going to stop just because we’ve met the Chief Minister. We will continue until our demands are met,” he said. The initial mobilisation, which began at our college in GKVK, has now culminated in Freedom Park; we will not be going anywhere until our demands are met,” he said.
Students from all five Universities of Agricultural Sciences — GKVK Bengaluru, Dharwad, Shivamogga, Raichur and Mandya — participated in the protest, with GKVK spearheading the mobilisation.
The agitation was led by student leader Nandheesh J alongside retired professor Prakash Kamareddy, a former member of the State Planning Commission. Organisations including the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and several farmer and student unions also joined the protest, giving the movement support beyond university campuses.
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For many students, the protest carried personal significance.
“My elder brother participated in similar protests in 2021, and now I’m doing the same. It feels good. We had the support of our deans and active mobilisation.” We left Hassan at 6 am to be here because this isn’t just our college’s fight—it’s Karnataka’s. Farming and agriculture deserve to be protected, and recruitment should reward those who have dedicated years to studying the subject, said Manjunath Gowda, a student from Hassan.
With the recruitment examination originally scheduled for Friday, 8 August, uncertainty hung over the protest until Home Minister Priyank Kharge announced that the exam would be postponed. The announcement sparked loud cheers across Freedom Park.
The government issued an order and announced the formation of a committee, with representation from student groups, that would review the eligibility criteria and submit its recommendations within 15 days.
While welcoming the move, Nandheesh said the response by the Chief Minister and the Home Minister were commendable.
“The Chief Minister and Home Minister have responded positively to our concerns and are working towards a sustainable solution.
We welcome the formation of the committee and the decision to include student representatives. But this is not the end of our movement. We will continue to monitor the process until our demands are met,” he added.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
