Massive Protest Erupted in Tripura Over A Language Script Row Ahead Of Board Exams (Image: India Today)

A massive student protest emerged, over a language script row ahead of board examination, in Tripura. The Tripura Indigenous Student Federation (TISF) announced rail and roadways blockade in Tripura from today ahead of examination over the language script row.

The Tripura Board of Secondary Education (TBSE) president Dhananjoy Ganchoudhury announced only Bengali script to be allowed in the state board examination. Earlier both the Bengali and Roman scripts were allowed in the Kokborok examination.

The state board has disallowed the use of Roman script to write exam in tribal language and only Bengali will be allowed to write the examination. There are tribal students who want both Bengali and Roman Script to write the examination for Kokborok subject.

Language script row ahead of board exams in #Tripura; Massive protest by tribal students. pic.twitter.com/1L2TqXgQ7p

— NDTV (@ndtv) February 12, 2024

The TBSE earlier in January asked examination centres in-charge to allow only Bengali script to write Kokborok papers for Class 10 and 12 started from March 1 and 2. The state board informed the absence of sufficient qualified evaluators to check the answer copies written in roman script.

In response to the announcement TISF central president Sajra President said to hold an indefinite road and railway blockade throughout the state from February 12. TISF president also said that the strike will continue till they get an assured solution to the issue. The student body asked for a written assurance for allowing Roman script to write Kokborok in the examination.

According to the information provided by him, TISF has formed a committee to decide places of further protests. Railway routes and National Highways have been blocked by protesting students over the language row.

Notably Kokborok is a language of Borok people who are geographically known as Tripuris. It is one of the state languages of Tripura and has declared as official language in 1999 by TTDAC.