Tripura: TIPRA Motha chief threatens to intensify movement on Roman script for Kokborok

In a strong condemnation of the police brutality faced by the Tipra Indigenous Students Federation (TISF), the student wing of TIPRA Motha, Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, the chairman of the party, declared on Thursday that if the Tripura government does not consider the Roman script for the Kokborok language, the movement will intensify in the days to come.

During a "peaceful" protest rally on Wednesday, more than 20 student activists from the Tipra Indigenous Students Federation (TISF) were injured when the police resorted to lathi charges and used water cannons to disperse the gathering. The rally aimed to demand the adoption of the Roman script for the Kokborok language.

Expressing his anguish and anger, Pradyot, the royal scion, expressed deep concern over the attack on TISF students. He criticized the government for disregarding the students' rights to decide the script in which they want to write Kokborok.

Also Read: Tripura: Over 20 students injured after police lathi-charge on a rally demanding Roman script for kokborok

Pradyot accused the police of using excessive force and emphasized that the Governor of Tripura has not shown any willingness to meet with them or the students. 

He questioned the Governor's unavailability, highlighting that he occupies the Raj Bhawan but does not spare two minutes to meet and read their memorandum for the state. Pradyot called upon the Governor to fulfil his role as a neutral emissary of the Government of India.

"The Governor's duty is to remain neutral, yet he cannot spare two minutes for us. The police have attacked female students. What harm have they done? They were merely discussing their future. I strongly condemn this incident and urge the governments of India and Tripura to seriously consider the adoption of the Roman script for Kokborok. Failure to do so will lead to an intensification of our movement in the coming days," Pradyot stated.

Animesh Debbarma, the Leader of the Opposition, visited GB and met with the victims, demanding a thorough investigation into the incident.