Tripura’s main opposition party, Tipra Motha, has stepped up pressure on the state government to allow students to write Kokbok in Roman script in their Class 10 and 12 exams test paper.

Tipra Motha Opposition leader Animesh Debbarma urged Chief Minister Manik Saha to provide this option to candidates, while the party’s student wing announced an indefinite blockade of roads and railways from February 12 to push the demand.

Kokborock is an indigenous language spoken by nearly 24% of the people in the northeastern state and has no written language. Students usually write their papers in this language in Bengali.

The Tripura Board of Secondary Education (TBSE) said candidates will have to write question papers in Bengali in next month’s exams as it is difficult for teachers to evaluate answer papers written in Roman script.

Earlier, Tipra Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Manikya had demanded the removal of TBSE chairman Dhananjoy Gonchowdhury if students are not allowed to write Kokborok papers in Bengali and Roman script.

“It is extremely unfortunate that the board is sticking to its decision of allowing students to write their Kokborok papers in Bengali only, citing resource constraints,” the Opposition leader said.

Debbarma told reporters that the board has been allowing students to write Kokborok in Bengali and Roman scripts for 15 to 17 years, which means it is capable of evaluating papers in both languages.

He said that as the chief minister who is also the education minister, Manik Saha will take responsibility if any problem arises during the examinations.

Angry students may riot, move or block roads. The Tipla Motta leader said on Thursday that there was also a law and order issue over the script.

The Tipla Aboriginal Students Federation (TISF) announced on Friday that it would impose road and rail blockades indefinitely from February 12, demanding that students be allowed to write kokborok papers in Roman script.

TBSE chairman Dhananjoy Gonchowdhury said students will be allowed to use Roman and Bengali scripts on Kokborok paper. Now in a U-turn, TISF president Sajra Debbarma told a press conference that students will not be allowed to write Roman script in the board’s exams.

Vehicles will not be allowed to ply on national highways, national highways and railway tracks during the lockdown, he said, adding that ambulances and cars used in wedding ceremonies can ply without any problem.

He said our agitation plan will continue until the chief minister or the education department provides written assurance on our demand for Kokborok in Roman script.

Tipra Motha had promised to introduce the Kokborok language in Roman script in her election manifesto. The TBSE Class 10 and 12 exams will begin on March 1.

Tipra Motha has 13 MLAs, mostly in tribal-majority areas, and nine sub-tribes of the Borok community speak the language in the 60-member state assembly. According to the 2011 census, 8,80,537 people (23.97% of the state’s total population) speak this language.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from associated news agency – PTI)