Tripura students, youths form human chain to demand Roman Script for Kokborok language

The United Movement Committee for Roman Script (UMCRS), a joint initiative by the Twipra Students' Federation (TSF) and Tipra Indigenous Students' Federation (TISF), today organized a large-scale human chain demonstration today across 11 locations in Tripura, demanding the adoption of the Roman script for the Kokborok language.

The protest took place in Agartala, Killa, Amarpur, Sonamura, Teliamura, Ambasa, Khowai district, Manu, South Tripura, Gondatwisa, and Bishramganj, drawing hundreds of students, activists, and local residents. 

The movement, led by John Debbarma, vice president of TSF and convener of UMCRS and others, emphasizes the
democratic right of the people to choose the script for their mother tongue.

He said, “We, the United Movement Committee for Roman Script, a joint initiative by the Twipra Students' Federation and the Tripura Indigenous Students' Federation, are holding a human chain rally demanding the Roman script for Kokborok. As residents of Tripura, our demand is genuine, yet the government has not fulfilled it. They must respect democracy and honor the collective will of the people. We live in a democratic country, and the state government is obligated to uphold democratic rules and norms. What the government is doing is unacceptable. They should respect the aspirations of the public and fulfill this demand.”

Speaking at the event, renowned poet and author Bikashrai Debbarma said, “Our main demand is the Roman script for Kokborok. The government may approve it or not, but Kokborok speakers have the right to decide what they adopt. Recent RTI data from 18 colleges between 2019 and 2021 show that the majority of Kokborok-speaking students prefer the Roman script when given a free choice. Furthermore, out of 127 Kokborok books published in 2025, 122 were written in Roman script. These facts clearly reflect the community’s preference.”

He added, “As citizens of a democratic country, it is the duty of the government to respect public aspirations and fulfill these demands. What the government is doing currently is unacceptable. The people’s collective voice cannot be ignored.”