*Agartala, Dec 16:*
The Tipra Indigenous Students’ Federation (TISF), the student wing of Tipra Motha, and the Twipra Students’ Federation (TSF) on Tuesday announced a joint statewide protest programme on December 18 to press for the long-pending demand for the adoption of Roman script for the Kokborok language.
As part of the agitation, torchlight rallies will be organised in all districts and subdivisions of Tripura in the evening. The central protest rally will be held in Agartala, where demonstrators will march from Swami Vivekananda Maidan to the State Museum. Leaders said the programme aims to convey the sentiments of indigenous communities to both the state and central governments.
The protest announcement comes in response to recent remarks by Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha, who advised indigenous communities to opt for an Indian script instead of what he described as a “foreign script” for Kokborok. Student leaders said such comments reflect the government’s lack of seriousness in resolving the issue.
“We have decided to organise a statewide protest on December 18 to press our demand for Roman script for Kokborok. Through these rallies, we want to send a strong message to the state and central governments about our sentiments,” said Sajra Debbarma, a leader of the TISF. He alleged that the issue of script selection has been reduced to an “annual drama” over the years and accused the state government of repeatedly ignoring a genuine and sincere demand.
Debbarma further criticised the BJP-led government, saying that while the party talks about “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas,” development in Tripura appears biased against indigenous aspirations. He added that the TSF has extended full support to the Roman script demand and that activists of both organisations would participate in the protests with equal determination.
Strongly reacting to the Chief Minister’s remarks, Debbarma said Dr Saha’s comments sounded more like those of a party activist rather than a constitutional authority. “When a Chief Minister speaks, he is responsible for every word. We expect a problem-solving approach, not casual advice,” he said. He added that the government has the authority and resources to appoint linguistic experts for script selection, and mere suggestions without concrete steps are unacceptable at this stage.
