BY TC News Desk
Agartala, 7th February 2026 : The Bishnupriya Manipuri community has launched a strong protest against what it described as a distortion of historical facts related to its language movement, opposing the decision to observe February 13 as Bishnupriya Manipuri Language Day. Community leaders termed the move a “historical mistake” and “extremely unreasonable,” warning of direct agitation if the decision is not withdrawn.
The protest was articulated at a press conference organized by the Bishnupriya Manipuri Democratic Forum today at a two-storey private market shed in Chirakuti. Senior leaders, including Arjun Singh, Upendra Sinha, Bir Chandra Sinha, Suraj Sinha and Joy Kumar Singh, addressed the media and expressed deep resentment over the issue.
Forum leader Arjun Singh stated that, according to reliable sources, the government has recognized February 13 as Language Day, a move he said undermines the legacy of sacrifices made for the preservation of the Bishnupriya Manipuri language. He emphasized that the history of linguistic self-sacrifice holds a rare and significant place in the world, citing the Dhaka Language Movement of February 21, 1952; the Bishnupriya Manipuri Language Movement marked by the martyrdom of Kumari Surashi Sudheshna on March 16, 1956; and the Silchar Language Movement of 1961, in which eleven people lost their lives.
Speakers at the press conference recalled that UNESCO had recognized February 21 as International Mother Language Day, acknowledging such sacrifices as unprecedented in the global struggle for mother tongues. Against this historical backdrop, they questioned the rationale behind choosing February 13—an administrative date linked to the introduction of primary education under the previous Left Front government—as Language Day, calling it a complete misrepresentation of history.
The forum reiterated that in a meeting held on February 3 at the Kokborok and Minority Hall in Agartala, the Bishnupriya Manipuri Samaj had unanimously rejected the February 13 decision. The leaders alleged that the decision was taken unilaterally without consulting the community and demanded that March 16, commemorating the sacrifice of martyr Surashi Sudheshna, be officially declared as Bishnupriya Manipuri Language Day.
Warning of intensified action, the leaders said that if their demand is ignored, a memorandum will be submitted to the District Magistrate for forwarding to the state government, and the community will be compelled to launch a larger movement.
