Bhubaneswar: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has omitted the Paika Mutiny of 1817 from its new Class VIII Social Science textbook, “Exploring Society: India and Beyond,” a decision that has ignited a fresh controversy and drawn sharp criticism, particularly from Odisha.
The Paika Mutiny, a significant armed uprising against British rule in Odisha’s Khurda district, was previously highlighted in the Class VIII history book “Our Past-III” as a “case study” and referred to as the “first such popular anti-British armed uprising in Odisha.” Its deletion from the new curriculum has led to accusations of undermining “Odia Asmita” (Odia pride) and neglecting a crucial chapter of India’s anti-colonial struggle.
Sources within the NCERT indicate that the latest curriculum revisions, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023, aim to rationalize content, reduce academic burden, and introduce new pedagogical approaches. While the new Class VIII textbook includes passages on other early resistance movements such as the Sannyasi-Fakir rebellion, Kol uprising, Santhal Rebellion, and the Indigo revolt, the absence of the Paika Mutiny has raised questions about the criteria for inclusion and exclusion of historical events.
Political leaders and historians from Odisha have voiced strong disapproval. The Samajwadi Party’s Odisha president, Rabindra Nath Behera, stated that the deletion is an “insult to the valour and courage of the Paikas and their sacrifice.” He questioned the ruling party’s commitment to “Odia Asmita,” especially given that the Paika Rebellion’s bicentenary was celebrated with much fanfare in 2017, with calls for it to be recognized as India’s First War of Independence.
A history professor from Utkal University, speaking anonymously, expressed dismay, noting that the NCERT itself had introduced the Paika Rebellion just eight years ago and there was “no academic merit to drop it” while detailing other rebellions.
This deletion comes amidst broader changes in NCERT textbooks for the academic year 2025-26, including the restructuring of content related to the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal periods, with a new emphasis on the “brutality” of some rulers. While the NCERT has stated that the revisions aim for an “honest approach to history” and are “entirely evidence-based,” the removal of the Paika Mutiny is likely to fuel ongoing debates about historical narratives in school education.