BY TC News Desk
Agartala, 15th January 2026: The elected representatives of the TIPRA Motha Party (TMP) including members of the Tripura Legislative Assembly (TLA) and the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) have jointly submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Prof. (Dr.) Manik Saha on Thursday demanding the adoption of the Roman script for the Kokborok/Kau-Bru language.
The memorandum led by Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, Chairman of the Administrative Reform Committee, TTAADC highlights that the continued imposition of an alternative script has “hindered the natural development and wider acceptance of the Kokborok language.” The signatories urged the state government to recognise the Roman script, stating that such recognition would empower Kokborok speakers and ensure linguistic justice.
Highlighting the constitutional basis of their demand, the memorandum states that recognition of the Roman script is “constitutionally permissible” and well within the legal competence of the State of Tripura. It further argues that denial or non-recognition of the Roman script could amount to violations of Articles 14 and 29(1), Article 350A, and provisions of the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
“We respectfully submit that the adoption and facilitation of the Roman script for Kokborok/Kau-Bru in education, administration, and public use is not only justified but constitutionally mandated,” the memorandum reads.
The representatives placed four key demands before the Chief Minister. These include adopting the Roman script as the official script for Kokborok, printing Kokborok question papers in Roman script in CBSE, ICSE, and TBSE examinations, publishing all Kokborok textbooks in Roman script, and conducting all government recruitment examinations including those by the Tripura Public Service Commission in Roman script for Kokborok.
The memorandum also recalls that Kokborok was recognised as a state language in 1979 through an amendment to the Tripura Official Language Act, 1964. It notes that the demand for the Roman script has been consistently raised since 1967 and has been supported by various expert bodies, including the Shyama Charan Tripura, Kumud Kunda Chowdhury, and Pabitra Sarkar Bhasha Commissions, all of which reportedly recommended the Roman script based on extensive public opinion.
Expressing hope for swift action, the signatories stated that they were confident the state government would take “immediate and favourable steps” to resolve the long-pending issue in the interest of linguistic equality and the aspirations of the Kokborok-speaking community.
