BHUBANESWAR: Vehicular movement was briefly affected in the capital city and a few other parts of the state on Wednesday due to the 12-hour bandh called by farmers’ and civil rights outfit Naba Nirman Krushak Sangathan (NNKS) over the alleged large-scale errors in government school textbooks.
As the protesters staged roadblock over the matter, traffic movement was partially hit in some areas of Khurda, Balasore, Jagatsinghpur and a few other districts in the morning. The bandh, however, did not have any significant impact on shops, business establishments or educational institutes.
In the capital city, members of the Naba Nirman Yuva Chhatra Sangathan (NYCS), the youth and student wing of NNKS, blocked the road near Baramunda inter-state bus terminal and burnt tyres, demanding resignation of School and Mass Education minister Nityananda Gond over the issue.
Members of the outfits also staged protest near Hi-Tech square and Master Canteen. A few agitators were detained by police for allegedly attempting to block roads at Master Canteen square and other key locations.
Bhubaneswar DCP Saravana Vivek M said there was no impact of the bandh in the capital city and the situation remained completely normal. He said a few people were detained during the protest for trying to block roads.
NNKS leader Akshay Kumar said the outfit was forced to call the bandh as the state government failed to take accountability for the textbook errors. The outfit’s members have been observing a Satyagraha for more than 40 days over the issue.