Odisha School Textbook Errors: Former SCERT Director Arrested By Crime Branch
The arrest comes nearly three days after Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi directed the Crime Branch to conduct a criminal investigation into the textbook fiasco: Reports
BHUBANESWAR: In a major development in the Odisha school textbook irregularities case, the Crime Branch on Tuesday evening arrested former Director of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Manoj Padhi, for his alleged role in the large-scale errors detected in school textbooks for Classes I to VIII.
Padhi, who had been detained and questioned by the Crime Branch since Monday, was taken into custody after investigators reportedly found prima facie evidence of serious lapses in the textbook preparation, proofreading and publication process.
According to Crime Branch sources, Padhi's alleged deliberate dereliction of duty and failure to discharge his official responsibilities facilitated the publication and distribution of error-ridden textbooks, causing an estimated loss of around Rs 175 crore to the state exchequer. Officials alleged that the irregularities were not merely administrative lapses but constituted criminal negligence, warranting his arrest under relevant provisions of law.
The arrest comes nearly three days after Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi directed the Crime Branch to conduct a criminal investigation into the textbook fiasco, one of the most embarrassing controversies faced by the BJP government since assuming office in June last year.
The textbook controversy surfaced after hundreds of factual, grammatical, typographical and translation errors were found in textbooks meant for students from Classes I to VIII. The mistakes ranged from incorrect spellings and faulty sentence construction to factual inaccuracies and printing defects, raising serious questions over the quality control mechanisms within SCERT and the School and Mass Education Department.
Earlier, the state government had suspended four senior officials, including Padhi, following the submission of a high-level inquiry committee report that fixed responsibility for the lapses. The government also ordered the immediate correction and reprinting of the affected textbooks to ensure that students did not suffer academically.
Crime Branch sources indicated that the investigation is progressing rapidly and more officials associated with the textbook preparation, approval and printing process are likely to come under the scanner. Investigators are examining official records, file notings and contractual procedures to ascertain whether the lapses resulted from negligence, procedural violations or deliberate misconduct.
The issue has triggered a political storm in Odisha, with the Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Congress launching sustained attacks on the Mohan Majhi government. Both parties have demanded the resignation of School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond, alleging that the government failed to ensure quality checks despite repeated warnings.
The controversy has also spilled onto social media, where users continue to highlight errors from the textbooks and circulate satirical memes and reels mocking the government's handling of the education system, further intensifying the political embarrassment for the ruling BJP.
