Srinagar, 17 October (H.S.): Students of SKUAST-K's Department today vowed to continue their protest lawfully despite vacating their hostel on the university administration's orders.

They said they would call off their 25-day agitation only after receiving written assurances on their demand to retain B.Sc. Forestry as the mandatory qualification for direct recruitment to Forester posts in the J&K Forest Department.

The students, protesting at Benhama in Ganderbal district against proposed amendments to the recruitment rules, said no representative of the authorities had met them in the past 26 days.

We will continue to protest lawfully, said Mehraj Ahmad Malik, a third-year B.Sc. Forestry student, reiterating that the students were willing to end the agitation if their demands were addressed in writing.

The protest escalated on Wednesday night after the university administration issued an order directing the students to vacate their hostel.

Malik said water and electricity supplies had also been disconnected.

Another student, Dania, said the hostel-vacation order was issued after students locked the faculty gate on Wednesday.

She alleged that the hostel mess was shut by around 7 am and the cooks were asked to leave, leaving students without breakfast.

At the centre of the agitation are proposed amendments to the recruitment rules for Forester posts in the J&K Forest Department.

The students argue that allowing candidates with general degrees and other qualifications to compete would undermine the four-year professional B.Sc. Forestry programme and disadvantage graduates specifically trained for the sector.

They are demanding that B.Sc. Forestry remains the mandatory qualification for direct recruitment, citing the specialised nature of forestry work and the professional training required for the posts.

Malik said the proposed eligibility criteria failed to recognise the value of the professional degree, as candidates with 10+2 and general degree qualifications would also be eligible for the posts.

The students also said the Faculty of Forestry had not seen direct recruitment of its graduates since 2004.

They argued that students had enrolled in the professional programme because of its specialised scope and had paid higher fees than those pursuing general courses, expecting better opportunities in the forestry sector.

The protesters urged the Government to reconsider the proposed eligibility criteria and provide written assurances on their demands, maintaining that they would continue their peaceful and lawful agitation until their concerns were addressed.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar