Kokborok-speaking students form human chains across Tripura demanding Roman script adoption

Thousands of students across Tripura demonstrated on Saturday in support of adopting the Roman script for Kokborok, the second official language of the northeastern state. The students, mobilized by the United Movement Committee for Roman Script (UMCRC), formed human chains at eleven different locations throughout Tripura.

Kokborok serves as the mother tongue for most of the 19 indigenous tribes in the state. The protesters raised slogans calling for the language to be written in Roman script rather than its current script system. The coordinated demonstration highlights ongoing debates about script standardization and language preservation in India's northeast, where questions of linguistic identity and accessibility remain significant for tribal communities.

The demand for Roman script adoption reflects broader concerns about making Kokborok more accessible and easier to learn, particularly for younger generations and for use in digital platforms.