Agartala : The long-simmering debate over the script for Kokborok/Kau Bru has intensified in Tripura, with Tipra Motha chief Pradyot Bikram Manikya DebBarma and several elected tribal representatives pressing the state government to take a clear and immediate decision in favour of the Roman script.

According to documents accessed by India Today NE, a memorandum submitted to Chief Minister Manik Saha by elected members of the Tripura Legislative Assembly (TLA) and the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) seeks formal recognition of the Roman script as the official script for Kokborok/Kau Bru. The memorandum has been signed by a number of tribal representatives, including ministers and MLAs, under the leadership of Pradyot Kishore Manikya, Chairman of the Administrative Reform Committee of the TTAADC.

The memorandum argues that the continued use and “imposition” of alternative scripts has hampered the growth, standardisation and wider acceptance of Kokborok, particularly in education and administration. It contends that recognition of the Roman script is constitutionally permissible and that denial or prolonged non-recognition could amount to violations of Articles 14, 29(1) and 350A of the Constitution, as well as provisions of the Sixth Schedule.

The signatories maintain that the Tripura government has full legal competence to recognise and facilitate the Roman script through executive or policy decisions, without requiring legislative amendments at the national level.

Among the specific demands, the elected representatives have called for the adoption of the Roman script as the official script for Kokborok in the state, printing of Kokborok question papers in Roman script for CBSE, ICSE and TBSE examinations, and publication of all Kokborok textbooks accordingly.

They have also urged that government recruitment examinations, including those conducted by the Tripura Public Service Commission, allow the use of Kokborok in Roman script.

The memorandum recalls that Kokborok was recognised as a state language in 1979 through an amendment to the Tripura Official Language Act, 1964, and notes that the demand for the Roman script dates back to 1967. It also cites findings of earlier language commissions – including the Shyama Charan Tripura, Kumud Kunda Chowdhury and Pabitra Sarkar commissions – which recorded broad support among Kokborok speakers for the Roman script.

Reacting to the development, Pradyot Bikram Manikya DebBarma said Tipra’s elected representatives, including himself, have conveyed their “unambiguous support” for Kokborok/Kau Bru in Roman script to the authorities. He stressed that other elected Tiprasa representatives must also clearly state their position on the issue.

“Any ambiguity or silence will not just be a political choice – it will have consequences for our children and future generations,” he said, warning that the issue goes beyond party lines and immediate political considerations.

The script question has remained one of the most sensitive cultural and political issues in Tripura for decades. With formal memoranda now submitted and public statements sharpening the debate, the Roman script demand has once again moved to the centre of Tripura’s linguistic and identity discourse, placing fresh pressure on the state government to take a definitive call.

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