Indigenous students of Agartala to knock PM’s door if demand for Roman script for Kokborok not met

Hundreds of indigenous students from the Twipra Students’ Federation (TSF) took to the streets in Agartala on Wednesday, demanding Roman script for Kokborok language. The students warned that if Tripura Governor and the present government do not fulfil their demand, they would reach out to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The participants highlighted that the demand for adopting the Roman or English script for Kokborok has been an unresolved issue for over five decades. Despite the majority of the indigenous population favouring the Roman script, previous governments have failed to address the matter.

The tribal students expressed hope that the Governor is well-informed about the long-standing issue surrounding the adoption of the Roman script for the Kokborok language. They anticipate a resolution and, if necessary, they plan to knock the Prime Minister’s door if their demands remain unaddressed.

The rally began from Radhanagar motor stand area and marched towards the Raj Bhavan with the intention of submitting a memorandum to Governor Satyadev Narayan Arya. However, their progress was halted by security forces in the Circuit House area.

As a four-member representative group from the TSF approached the governor’s house to submit their memorandum, other members of the student organization blocked the airport road.
Recent incidents of students in English-medium schools affiliated with the CBSE compelled to write their Kokborok answers in Bengali script during board examinations was highlighted.

It may be added here that the state government had earlier observed that unlike the Tripura Board of Secondary Education, the CBSE does not provide provisions for setting question papers or answering in two languages for any subject, including Kokborok.

Kokborak, the most widely spoken language among Tripura’s indigenous population, accounts for 31 percent of the approximately 4 million residents.

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