📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Max Desfor
Politics
Congress and INDIA Bloc Call Odisha Bandh Over Mining Law, SIR and Textbook Errors
✍️ CNBC TV18
🗓 08 Oct 2026, 03:02 PM
👁 36
On Thursday, Congress and the INDIA alliance staged a statewide bandh in Odisha to protest the recently passed mining legislation, the State Internal Revenue rules and alleged errors in school textbooks.
The opposition parties announced a 24‑hour shutdown across Odisha on Thursday, urging citizens to stay home and businesses to suspend operations. The call was issued jointly by the Indian National Congress and the INDIA bloc, a coalition of regional parties that have been critical of the state government's recent policy moves.
The bandh is aimed at three specific grievances: the newly enacted mining law that opposition leaders say favours corporate interests over local communities, the State Internal Revenue (SIR) regulations that they claim will increase the fiscal burden on small traders, and a series of alleged factual errors in the state's school textbooks which the parties allege could misinform students.
Authorities reported that schools, government offices and several private establishments remained closed in major districts, while police were deployed to maintain law and order and to prevent any incidents of violence. Public transport services were curtailed, and a few highways saw temporary blockades by protestors.
The state government, through a spokesperson, said it respects the democratic right to protest but warned that any disruption to essential services would be dealt with according to law. Officials also announced that a review of the mining bill and the textbook content would be undertaken, though no timeline was provided.
The bandh is aimed at three specific grievances: the newly enacted mining law that opposition leaders say favours corporate interests over local communities, the State Internal Revenue (SIR) regulations that they claim will increase the fiscal burden on small traders, and a series of alleged factual errors in the state's school textbooks which the parties allege could misinform students.
Authorities reported that schools, government offices and several private establishments remained closed in major districts, while police were deployed to maintain law and order and to prevent any incidents of violence. Public transport services were curtailed, and a few highways saw temporary blockades by protestors.
The state government, through a spokesperson, said it respects the democratic right to protest but warned that any disruption to essential services would be dealt with according to law. Officials also announced that a review of the mining bill and the textbook content would be undertaken, though no timeline was provided.