Conflicting ‘Kokborok’ rallies held in Agartala on the ‘Kokborok’ language day,demand for Roman script grows

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, January 19, 2026

Two conflicting rallies of ‘Kokborok’ day were held more or less peacefully in Agartala today in peace and without any rancour. On this very day in the year 1979 that the then left front government of the state had officially notified the ‘Kokborok’ language as an official language of the state in view of a longstanding demand for recognition of the lingua franca of the state’s indigenous people.

Even though the day has been annually held on this day more or less unnoticeably, this year the observance of the day was underlined by tension as the demand for Roman script in stead of the prevalent modified Bengali script in which it had been devised by late linguist Kumud Kundu Chowdhury . The demand is influenced by missionary elements likely newly baptised tribal young generation. The state government is opposing this on the ground that, once Roman script is officially recognised , the language which has already achieved growth and development, will never be recognised and listed in the eighth schedule of the constitution even though the government has proposed either the classical ‘Devnagari’ script or a new and original script that may be devised.

However, the department of information and cultural affairs (ICA) department of the state government today organised a rally as part of the observances of the ‘Kokborok’day. The rally in which colourfully and traditionally attired tribal students had taken party had commenced from the Rabindra Shata Varshiki Bhawan under the leadership of the veteran BJP MLA and tribal leader Rampada Jamatya. The rally peacefully moved through the main thoroughfares of the town and ended peacefully. In a brief speech Rampada urged the tribal students and youths to use their mother tongue as much as possible.

Apart from this, Tripura Indigenous Students Federation (TISF), student front of the ‘Tipra Motha’ also took out a rally on the occasion after a brief meeting in the Rabindra Shata Varshiki Bhawan. Speaking in the rally in front of the Rabindra Shata Varshiki Bhwan the TISF leaders demanded immediate introduction of Roman script for the ‘Kokborok’language, even before the upcoming school leaving exams like ‘Madhyamik’ and class XII of Tripura Board and ICSE and CBSE exams of central boards. At the end of the meeting the TISF student rally moved through the town and the participants had engaged in a minor scuffle with policemen in front of the Congress Bhawan though order was restored soon. However, there was disaffection among participants regarding inadequate supply of food packets , containing only one ‘Bangoi’ each even though leaders had promised food packets costing at least Rs 200.00 each. The programme ended peacefully.

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