UMERKOTE : Normal life was disrupted across Nabarangpur district on Wednesday as the Congress observed a dawn-to-dusk bandh demanding resignation of School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond over the alleged irregularities in school textbooks.
In Umerkote, Congress workers took out a protest rally accusing the state government of failing to safeguard the interests of students. During the rally, tension flared up as police prevented the Congress workers from staging dharna near the residence of Gond who is also the MLA of Umerkote.
Seeking resignation of the minister, party leaders said, “The large-scale errors in school textbooks and deficiencies in the education system has exposed the shortcomings of the BJP government. The state government should take immediate corrective measures to restore public confidence in the education system.”
The bandh had a visible impact across the district. Passenger buses and other commercial vehicles largely remained off the roads, while several shops and business establishments downed their shutters in response to the shutdown call. However, essential services remained largely unaffected.
Police personnel were deployed at key locations to maintain law and order. No untoward incidents were reported during the bandh.