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Farmers' outfit calls 12-hour Odisha bandh today over school textbook errors
The farmers' rights outfit, which has been observing a relay hunger strike since August 20 over the issue, said the bandh would be completely peaceful.
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The Naba Nirman Krushak Sangathan (NNKS) has called a 12-hour Odisha bandh on Wednesday, demanding the resignation of School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond over alleged large-scale errors in textbooks used in government schools.
The farmers' rights outfit, which has been observing a relay hunger strike since August 20 over the issue, said the bandh would be completely peaceful.
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NNKS national coordinator Akshay Kumar, who has been on hunger strike in Bhubaneswar since September 6, sought public support for the agitation, saying the issue was linked to the future of lakhs of students and the pride of Odisha.
"We are hopeful that the bandh will be a success," he said on Tuesday.
Kumar said shops, markets, commercial establishments, private establishments and public transport services, including buses, would remain closed during the bandh.
The NNKS has received support from the CPI(M) and the Republican Party of India.
The Congress and other INDIA bloc parties, however, have announced a separate state-wide bandh on October 8 over three issues -- repeal of the new mining law, resignation of Gond and removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
More than 1,700 errors were detected in newly published school textbooks, according to the NNKS.
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Among the errors cited by the organisation were a reference to Niyamgiri Hills as being located in Jharkhand and a picture of the Karnataka assembly being published in place of the Odisha assembly. Scientist Isaac Newton was also described as a pilot in the textbooks.
Meanwhile, the Board of Secondary Education (BSE), Odisha, clarified that no decision had been taken to postpone or cancel any examination in view of the NNKS bandh.
Police have made elaborate security arrangements in Bhubaneswar, deploying around 10 platoons of force and 15 officers at specific locations to maintain law and order.
Government employees have also been asked to attend offices as usual.
