Hours after the Twipra Students’ Federation (TSF) began an indefinite statewide strike demanding that the Roman script be used for the Kokborok language officially, Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha Friday assured the public that the issue would be resolved soon. The TSF, which has received support from the student wing of BJP ally Tipra Motha, has also demanded that CBSE Class 10 and 12 examinations for Kokborok be held afresh as several candidates had to turn in blank answer scripts after invigilators in certain centres ‘declined’ to translate Kokborok question papers set in Bengali script. “This government is a government of solutions. We respect the thoughts, culture, traditions, and languages of all people,” said CM Saha while speaking on the script issue in the Assembly. The CM further stated that a tripartite agreement between the Centre, state, and the Tipra Motha was signed in New Delhi last year to meet several demands of the tribals including the introduction of the Roman script for the Kokborok language. “When I saw in the newspaper about different comments on the script, in one place, it was written that if the invigilator could make the students understand the question paper if it is in Bengali, then they will have no issue. I assure you of making the future of the students better. There will be no compromise in this case… Be it one or two students, we shall make arrangements so that they can understand it (if the Kokborok question paper is in Bengali). But I cannot make any decision regarding the script. When a discussion will happen (at the tripartite level), we shall surely come to a decision,” he said. Meanwhile, protesters supporting the strike call blocked National Highways in different parts of the state on Friday. However, no violence was reported till the filing of this report. “Protests have been withdrawn in some places in the state. There was no report of violence. Still, security personnel have been deployed across the state as a protective measure,” an officer at the state police headquarters said Friday evening. Meanwhile, reacting to the strike call, Tipra Motha founder Pradyot Kishore Debbarma wrote on social media, “Looks like we will have to look at Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland Model where despite the local languages not being included in the 8th schedule, the boys and girls can write and read their language and sit in examinations in Roman script. Why? because it is a ‘State’ Subject and those states have made a clear decision. National parties which are based in Tripura should make their stance clear… what subject do they want Tiprasa students to read and write? A) Bangla B) Devanagri C) Roman. “Let the Jan Jati Morcha/ST Cell /GMP (Ganamukti Parishad) put pressure on their parties because it is also about their children’s future. Finally, Let’s stay united and if we speak out in one voice we will become a factor. They will have to agree if they want votes from the Tiprasa people… I speak this as a Tiprasa and not the founder of Tipra Motha Party – Nothing will be achieved if we don’t put our Jati’s interest above politics.” A few days ago, Pradyot Kishore Debbarma, too, had alleged that invigilators at some CBSE centres declined to translate the Kokborok question papers written in Bengali script. The authorities had earlier assured that students who cannot read Bengali will be given translation support at the centres. On March 8, Pradyot Kishore Debbarma had demanded the intervention of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resolve the Kokborok script issue. On Friday, Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman also extended support to the demand of the tribal student body. However, he claimed that no tribal MLA had supported him when he raised the script issue in the Assembly in the last Winter Session. Accusing the BJP-led government of shying away from recognising the “legitimate demand” of the tribals, the Congress leader said his party was in favour of the Roman script for Kokborok. Kokborok is the lingua franca of the majority of 19 tribal communities in Tripura. While the language has a rich history and is one of the official languages in the Northeastern state, it does not have an officially recognised indigenous script. Kokborok is written in both Roman and Bengali scripts. There was much controversy last year when the Tripura Board of Secondary Education president Dr Dhananjoy Gan Choudhury went back and forth several times on the script issue. Finally, the state government stepped in and said that students could take the Kokborok exams in both Roman and Bengali scripts. Earlier, two commissions were set up under former legislator Shyama Charan Tripura and linguist Pabitra Sarkar, respectively, to decide the script issue. Since the BJP came to power in the state in 2018, there has also been a push from certain quarters of the saffron party to adopt the Devanagari script for Kokborok, inviting sharp criticisms from other political parties, students, language activists and the intelligentsia.
