A scuffle broke out between Congress workers and the Commissionerate Police at Lower PMG in Bhubaneswar on Sunday, 2 August, as the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) held a large-scale rally demanding the resignation of Odisha School and Mass Education (S&ME) Minister Nityananda Gond over alleged textbook errors and systemic irregularities in the state's education sector. Police subsequently detained several senior Congress leaders, including Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) President Bhakta Charan Das.

How the Protest Unfolded

The demonstration was led by NSUI National President Vinod Jakhar, OPCC President Bhakta Charan Das, and newly appointed Odisha Chhatra Congress President Bibhuti Bhusan Mohapatra. The group was marching toward Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi's official residence to stage a gherao when police intercepted them at Lower PMG, triggering the scuffle. The Commissionerate Police then detained Das and several other senior leaders and workers.

Earlier on Sunday, the Odisha Pradesh Chhatra Congress had organised a 'Chhatra Sankalp Samavesh' (Students' Resolve Convention) at Master Canteen Square, Bhubaneswar. The convention formally felicitated the newly appointed Chhatra Congress President Mohapatra and adopted a resolution outlining the organisation's future agenda.

Key Allegations Against the State Government

Addressing the convention, Jakhar alleged that the Centre was 'anti-youth' and 'anti-student', calling its response to students protesting at Jantar Mantar in Delhi over the deteriorating education system 'unfortunate.'

Das levelled sharp criticism at the Odisha state government, alleging that schools, colleges, and universities across the state were functioning with nearly a 50 per cent shortage of teachers, faculty members, and other staff. He directly accused Minister Gond of failing students, pointing to more than 2,000 glaring errors in government-issued textbooks as evidence of administrative negligence.

Das further alleged that student union elections were not being held in colleges and universities, arguing that students were being repeatedly subjected to injustice and that the state's education system had 'collapsed.'

Demand for Minister's Resignation

The OPCC President alleged that despite repeated demands for Minister Nityananda Gond's resignation, the state government had continued to shield him and that Chief Minister Majhi had remained 'unaffected' by the criticism. Das called for a larger and more impactful protest in Odisha, drawing a comparison to the students' agitation at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. 'To teach them a lesson, there is a need for a bigger and more impactful protest in Odisha than the one at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. If student power awakens, Odisha will awaken,' Das said.

What Comes Next

The detention of senior Congress leaders is likely to intensify political pressure on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Odisha government. The NSUI and OPCC have signalled that protests will escalate if their demands — chiefly the resignation of Minister Gond and a credible audit of state textbooks — are not addressed. The textbook controversy, involving more than 2,000 alleged errors, has already drawn sustained public attention and could become a flashpoint ahead of the next electoral cycle.