Agartala: Thousands of Kokborok-speaking students organised coordinated protests across Tripura on Saturday, forming human chains at several locations to press for the adoption of the Roman script for the Kokborok language.
The demonstrations were held under the banner of the United Movement Committee for Roman Script (UMCRC), a joint platform of Kokborok-speaking student bodies.
Human chains were reported at 11 locations statewide, with participants raising slogans demanding official recognition of the Roman script for Kokborok, Tripura’s second official language and the mother tongue of most of the State’s 19 tribal communities.
UMCRC convener John Debbarma said the demand represented the aspirations of Kokborok-speaking people and called on the government to acknowledge public sentiment. He also expressed disappointment over recent remarks by Chief Minister Manik Saha, arguing that a democratically elected government should not overlook concerns tied to cultural and linguistic identity.
Responding to the protests, Saha alleged that vested interests were influencing the movement and accused certain groups of politicising the issue. He stated that he was not opposed to Kokborok or the use of English, but rejected the proposal to adopt the Roman script, contending that a “foreign script” was not permissible under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
The Chief Minister further maintained that students were free to write examinations in either Bengali or Roman script. He urged Kokborok-speaking communities to focus on developing an indigenous script, adding that capable members of the community could undertake the task rather than turning it into a political campaign.
Saturday’s protests underscored growing differences between student groups and the state government over the future of Kokborok and its script, with both sides appearing to hold firm on the sensitive cultural question.