Agartala: Mar 21: The Tipra Students Federation (TSF) staged a protest on Friday morning, blocking national highways across Tripura, including in Agartala city, to demand that Kokborok textbooks and question papers be written in the Roman script. The demonstration in the capital’s Circuit House area was led by Manish Debbarma, president of TSF’s Agartala Town Committee.
Speaking to the media, Debbarma highlighted that the movement for adopting the Roman script for Kokborok has been ongoing since 1968. He pointed to past commissions, such as the Shyama Charan Tripura Commission, the Pabitra Sarkar Commission, and the Atul Debbarma Commission, which reportedly supported the Roman script but whose findings were allegedly suppressed by the government. He accused the authorities of disregarding the sentiments of the indigenous people and politicizing students, leaving TSF with no choice but to block highways in protest.
Around noon, Tipra Motha Supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarma visited the protestors at the Circuit House area to express his support. He emphasized that the movement is not affiliated with any political party but is a fight for the rights of the Tiprasa people. He described it as a democratic right and assured that their MLAs would raise the demand in Parliament while the people continued to voice it on the streets. He also warned of potential consequences, such as students failing exams and being vulnerable to accusations of extremism, if the issue remains unresolved.
The protest underscores the persistent demand for the Roman script for Kokborok and the broader struggle for the rights of the indigenous community in Tripura.
