AGENCIES / Bhubaneswar
The Odisha government has ordered a probe to ascertain the circumstances that led to publication of a booklet that claimed that Mahatma Gandhi’s death as an “accident”. Probe has also been ordered to know how the School and Mass Education department distributed it in state-run and state-aided schools.
The publication of booklet describing Mahatma Gandhi’s death as an “accident” has triggered a row in Odisha, with political leaders and activists demanding an apology from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and immediate measures to correct the “blunder”.
The two-page booklet “Aama Bapuji: Eka Jhalaka” (Our Bapuji: A Glimpse) — published on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi — presents a brief account of his teachings, works and links with Odisha, while also stating that he “died due to accidental reasons in a sudden sequence of events on January 30, 1948 at Delhi’s Birla House”.
The Patnaik-led government, in the wake of the furore over the pamphlet, has ordered a probe to ascertain the circumstances that led to its publication by the School and Mass Education department for distribution in state-run and state-aided schools.
Calling the error an “inexcusable act”, senior Congress leader and former minister Narasingha Mishra said the chief minister, being the head of the government, must tender an apology for the misinformation provided in the booklet.
“Patnaik must take responsibility for the blunder, seek apology and issue a directive to immediately withdraw the booklet,” the Congress Legislature Party leader said.