Agartala, March 07, 2025: In a resolute move to safeguard the linguistic rights of the Kokborok-speaking community, TIPRA Motha Party founder Pradyot Bikram Manikya on Friday issued an urgent appeal to the Ministry of Education, Government of India and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), demanding the inclusion of Roman script for Kokborok question papers in TBSE and CBSE examinations.

In an official letter addressed to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Pradyot underscored the persistent neglect faced by Kokborok-speaking students in Tripura, who have long been denied the option to write their examinations in the Roman script—a method widely preferred by the community.

“The time for temporary fixes and empty promises has passed,” wrote Pradyot in his letter, adding, “This is not just an issue of fairness, but also a matter of cultural preservation and linguistic rights. The Kokborok-speaking community, with its rich history and heritage, deserves nothing less than equal recognition and respect.”

Kokborok, a Tibeto-Burmese language spoken primarily by the indigenous Tiprasa people, is one of the official languages of Tripura. However, the script controversy has long been a point of contention. While students were previously allowed to write in either the Bengali or Roman script, recent policies have mandated only Bengali script for question papers, putting thousands of students at a severe disadvantage.

“The Roman script has become the widely accepted and preferred mode of writing Kokborok,” the letter states. “It is far more compatible with the language’s syllables and vocabulary, and it is the script most commonly used by the people of Tripura.”

Last year, an announcement by the TBSE Chairperson barring students from writing in the Roman script led to massive protests across Tripura. Although the state government intervened temporarily, the issue remains unresolved, and students continue to suffer academic setbacks due to this discrepancy.

Many students who appeared for the TBSE Class XII and Class X examinations on February 27 and 28 reportedly faced immense difficulty due to the lack of question papers in Roman script. With the CBSE Class X examination scheduled for March 17, the urgency of the matter cannot be overstated.

“This is not a minor inconvenience; it is a systemic issue that prevents students from having a fair opportunity to showcase their academic capabilities,” Pradyot emphasized. “Education should be inclusive, not a battleground for political disputes over linguistic identity.”

TIPRA Motha has called upon the central and state governments to act swiftly to rectify the situation, ensuring equal academic opportunities for all Kokborok-speaking students. The letter, also sent to CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh, IAS, urges an immediate resolution before the upcoming exams.