Agartala Feb 05: Twipra Student Federation (TSF) on Monday staged a protest in front of Tripura Board of Secondary Examination (TBSE) Office in Agartala seeking Roman Script for writing and learning of Kokborok language in the forthcoming examinations.

Hitting out at the state government for ‘playing with the future of the students’, ‘snatching away of fundamental rights’ and ‘neglecting the demands of tribal students’, the protestors asserted that Kokborok is their language and they are comfortable in writing the answer sheets in Roman script.

Speaking to the reporters, one of the TSF leaders said, “The exams are scheduled in coming 10- 12 days and yet there is no clarity about the script. Where the future of thousand tribal students is at stake, the state government is doing politics”.

“Previous year too, the same thing happened, the chief minister assured to resolve the issue but has been done so far in this context”, he said.

The agitating TSF activists said, “We live in a democratic country and the Constitution of India offers us fundamental rights. It is we tribal students who will learn Kokborok subject and therefore it must be our choice in what script it should be”.

“CBSE informed the schools to opt either of the language, Bengali or Roman, for writing the examination which makes the future of the students, uncertain”, he said.

Talking about the memorandum submitted by former MLA Dr Atul Debbarma mentioning the TBSE to conduct the Kokborok exam in Bengali script, the protesting TSF supporters called Dr Atul Debbarma as ‘Bhibhishan’.

“We respect him as a former MLA and a doctor. But being an indigenous person like us, such a statement from him is unacceptable and if he continues in such a way, we will be forced to expel him from our community”, said one TSF leader.

The agitators urged the state government and TBSE to immediately comply with the demand of ‘Roman Script for Kokborok language’ and warned of staging vigorous movement in coming days if the demand is not met.