Farmers’ group orders 12‑hour Odisha bandh over 1,700 textbook errors, seeks minister’s resignation

The Naba Nirman Krushak Sangathan (NNKS) has announced a 12‑hour peaceful bandh across Odisha on Wednesday, demanding the resignation of School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond over more than 1,700 alleged errors in government school textbooks.

What Happened

The bandh will shut shops, markets, private businesses and public transport including buses, according to NNKS national coordinator Akshay Kumar, who has been on hunger strike in Bhubaneswar since September 6. The farmers’ outfit has been running a relay hunger strike since August 20 to press the issue. Police have deployed about ten platoons and fifteen officers in key locations, while the Board of Secondary Education said exams will go ahead as scheduled and government employees must report to work.

Reaction

CPI(M) and the Republican Party of India have voiced support for NNKS. The Congress and other parties in the INDIA bloc plan a separate statewide bandh on October 8, citing the same demand for Gond’s resignation along with repeal of a new mining law and removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Context

The errors cited include placing Niyamgiri Hills in Jharkhand, showing a picture of the Karnataka assembly instead of Odisha’s, and describing Isaac Newton as a pilot. NNKS says these mistakes threaten the future of lakhs of students and the pride of the state.