TSF Blocks VIP Road to Tripura Assembly on First Day of Budget Session, Demands Roman Script for Kokborok

Security personnel struggled to control the situation as commuters faced long delays.

On the first day of Tripura’s Budget Session, the Twipra Students’ Federation (TSF) staged a massive protest, blocking the VIP road leading to the Assembly, Airport, and High Court in Agartala. The demonstration was part of their indefinite statewide strike, demanding the adoption of the Roman script for Kokborok.

Hundreds of TSF and Young Twipra Federation (YTF) activists gathered at key intersections, raising slogans and disrupting vehicular movement. The blockade caused heavy traffic congestion, forcing Ministers and MLAs to take an alternative route through the Circuit House area. Security personnel struggled to control the situation as commuters faced long delays.

Speaking to the media, TSF in-charge and YTF general secretary James Debbarma accused the government of ignoring their demand for over five decades despite repeated assurances from successive administrations. He asserted that the indigenous Kokborok-speaking community prefers the Roman script over the Bengali script, which is currently used in official records and education.

Drawing a comparison to the formation of Bangladesh due to the imposition of Urdu over the Bengali script, Debbarma criticized the government for failing to recognize the aspirations of indigenous communities.

“The Roman script is widely used among Kokborok speakers, and we will not back down until our demand is met,” he declared at the protest site.

The road blockade near the Assembly was seen as a direct challenge to the government on the crucial first day of the Budget Session. Security forces were deployed in large numbers to prevent any escalation. Officials urged protesters to vacate the roads, warning of legal action if disruptions continued.

The TSF has vowed to continue its indefinite strike until the government takes concrete steps to implement the Roman script for Kokborok.

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