Amid protests, Tripura CM favors Indian-origin script for Kokborok

Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha on Saturday clarified that the state government has not imposed any ban on the use of the Roman script for the Kokborok language, even as he reiterated his preference for developing an indigenous, Indian-origin script for the tribal language.

Speaking to media persons on the sidelines of a programme in Agartala, Dr Saha said the government has not issued any order prohibiting the Roman script for Kokborok, which is widely spoken by tribal communities in Tripura.

The Chief Minister said he was not opposed to English as a language but questioned the use of a foreign script for an indigenous tongue. “For an indigenous language, why should a foreign script like Roman be used?” he asked, adding that the community leaders were well aware of the issue.

“There will be no imposition of any script. However, some leaders are using the sentiments of the tribal community for their political gain,” Dr Saha said, asserting that the government would welcome a script that does not originate from a foreign language system.

He pointed out that Kokborok was earlier written in the Bengali script. He added that proposals to adopt Devanagari or other Indian-origin scripts had also been made in the past but were not accepted. According to him, the state has several linguistic experts well-versed in Kokborok who can develop a suitable indigenous script.

Urging people not to be misled by the ongoing debate, Dr Saha appealed to the public to think about future generations. “Society should feel proud of its script and language,” he said.

Clarifying the government’s position further, the Chief Minister said the status quo would continue. Students would be allowed to write examinations in the Roman script if they so choose. “There is no direction to ban the Roman script. Anyone who wants can continue writing examinations in Roman,” he said.

Dr Saha also revealed that he had written to the Central Board of Secondary Education seeking permission to allow students to use the Roman script in examinations.

His remarks come amid protests in Agartala, where student groups have been demanding official recognition of the Roman script for Kokborok. Members of a student organisation recently formed a human chain in support of the demand.

The BJP’s ally Tipra Motha, along with other opposition parties and tribal student wings, has been pressing for the adoption of the Roman script for the Kokborok language.