Agartala, Tripura – The Twipra Students Federation (TSF), a prominent indigenous students’ organization affiliated with the North East Students Organisation (NESO), has announced an indefinite statewide strike commencing March 21st. The strike will involve the blockade of all national highways within Tripura, escalating their ongoing protest over the Kok Borok language script issue.
The core demands of the TSF are the immediate implementation of the Roman script for Kok Borok language examinations and the urgent rescheduling of Kok Borok board exams for students who were reportedly unable to answer questions due to the exam papers being set exclusively in Bengali script.
TSF General Secretary Hamalu Jamatia, speaking at a press conference, emphasized the federation’s persistent efforts, stating, “The Twipra Students Federation has been fighting, protesting, and submitting multiple memoranda regarding the script of Kok Borok.” He highlighted previous actions, including a strike last year and meetings with the Governor, as well as submissions to the Tripura Board of Secondary Education (TBSE) and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). Despite assurances from these boards to provide Kok Borok question papers in both Roman and Bengali scripts, the March 17th board exam presented students with question papers solely in Bengali script.
Jamatia further asserted that consultations with board students and their guardians revealed a widespread inability to comprehend and answer the Kok Borok exam questions. “Even in private schools, students failed to read the question paper as it was set in Bengali script. Now, students are in panic,” he stated. Consequently, the TSF has resolved to initiate an indefinite strike on March 21st, demanding the adoption of the Roman script for Kok Borok.
The TSF has called upon the government and the education boards to acknowledge and respect the linguistic sentiments of the indigenous community. They have appealed for broad student and public participation in the upcoming movement. Jamatia reiterated the federation’s repeated appeals to the government, insisting on direct engagement and resolution of the issue. He demanded the rescheduling of the Kok Borok exams for both Class 10 and 12 students, allowing them to rewrite the papers. He also expressed concerns that the Class 12 Kok Borok board exam scheduled for the following day would likely repeat the error of setting the question paper in Bengali script.
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