Bhubaneswar: In a significant development over the errors detected in school textbooks for Classes I to VIII in Odisha, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday ordered a criminal investigation into the entire process of their preparation and publication.

The Chief Minister has also directed the Director of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) to lodge a First Information Report (FIR) with the Crime Branch Superintendent of Police to facilitate an independent probe.

Earlier, to determine the causes behind the discrepancies, the state government had constituted a high-level committee under the chairmanship of the Development Commissioner. Based on the committee’s findings, former SCERT Director Manoj Padhi and three Assistant Directors were placed under suspension.

In addition, disciplinary action has been initiated against six more Assistant Directors for their alleged involvement in the lapses.

The controversy came to light after nearly 1,678 errors were identified in the newly published textbooks, triggering sharp criticism from Opposition parties as well as educationists.