Odisha textbook error scandal prompts BJD call for minister's resignation

New textbooks for classes I to VIII in Odisha were found to contain about 1,678 printing errors, sparking a political controversy. Opposition leader and BJD president Naveen Patnaik urged accountability, stating that the errors damage the trust and future of an entire generation of Odia children. The Biju Janata Dal demanded the resignation of School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond and called for a CBI investigation. Youth and student wings of the party staged a peaceful dharna in Bhubaneswar and attempted to march to the minister’s residence before being stopped by police; further protests are planned in Nabarangpur, the minister’s home district. In response, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi suspended four senior officials and initiated disciplinary action against six others involved in the textbook production process.