Overview
- More than 1,600 to 2,000 factual and editorial mistakes were found in newly issued textbooks for Classes I to VIII, including wrong locations, misidentified monuments, incorrect photographs, and verbatim film song lyrics.
- The state government has moved the case to the Odisha Crime Branch, arrested a former SCERT director, suspended several assistant directors, and opened disciplinary proceedings against other SCERT officials.
- Biju Janata Dal leader Naveen Patnaik demanded the education minister’s resignation on Monday and the state Congress has given a weeklong ultimatum that includes a threatened statewide bandh and protests if the minister does not step down.
- The ruling BJP has rejected calls for the minister’s resignation, accused opposition parties of political opportunism, and defended the ongoing probes as the correct route to assign responsibility.
- The controversy raises immediate risks for classroom learning and public trust in curriculum materials and could prompt wider administrative reform or further legal action depending on the Crime Branch findings.