Agartala, January 10: Ahead of the Winter Session of the Tripura Assembly, members of the Twipra Students’ Federation (TSF), the biggest tribal students outfit, staged a protest near the VIP Road close to the Circuit House in Agartala on Friday.
The demonstration was organized to press for the long-pending demand to adopt the Roman script for the Kokborok language.
The protest was led by former TSF general secretary John Debbarma, with a significant number of protesters holding banners and posters while raising slogans in support of their demand.
The Roman script issue has been a contentious topic for more than five decades, with indigenous groups advocating for its adoption alongwith the existing Devnagari script to promote and preserve the Kokborok language.
To maintain law and order, a heavy deployment of security personnel, including senior police officials, was present at the site.
Authorities ensured that the protest did not block the crucial VIP Road, which connects the Assembly, the airport, and the High Court.
Sources revealed that Chief Minister Manik Saha avoided taking the VIP Road and used an alternate route to reach the Assembly, citing potential disruptions.
The TSF’s protest highlights the growing discontent among indigenous communities over the delay in meeting their linguistic demands.
As the Winter Session begins, all eyes are on the Assembly to see if the issue of Kokborok script finds any mention or resolution.
The situation remains peaceful, but tensions linger as protesters vow to continue their movement until their demand is addressed and reportedly are also planning to move to the Assembly gate.
