Agartala, 25 Nov 2025: The Tripura Students’ Federation (TSF) organised a mass sit-in protest on Tuesday at the Circuit House area, once again pressing their long-standing demand for printing Kokborok textbooks in the Roman script and introducing Roman script options for Board examination question papers. The organisation warned that if the government fails to take action, they will intensify their agitation in the coming months.
The TSF has been raising this demand for decades, and on Tuesday their leaders reiterated that the issue is not merely a demand but a “need” for the indigenous community.
Speaking at the demonstration, TSF Vice President John Debbarma said the government must “change its mindset” regarding indigenous issues.
“Today we, the TSF, are conducting this agitation. Our demand for the Roman script has existed for almost 50 years. We want to say one thing to the Chief Minister and the Government: the mindset needs to change first,” Debbarma said.
“Unless their mindset changes, this issue will never be resolved.”
He added that although TSF has submitted memorandums, filed RTIs and staged repeated protests, the government has failed to act.
Debbarma criticised what he described as a “top-to-bottom” approach of the administration.
“They think, ‘I am a Minister, I don’t need to look at the people’. This superiority complex is a problem in Tripura,” he said.
“Demands and needs are different. The Roman script is our need. Until this need is fulfilled, our agitations will continue.”
When asked about Tuesday’s programme, Debbarma said the sit-in would continue until 2 PM and that TSF is prepared for sustained protests in the coming months, reminding that similar movements were held in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
He also asserted that the government must represent the indigenous people’s aspirations:
“We gave them votes and our voice, yet our future looks dark because their mindset is not right. If their mindset doesn’t change naturally, it needs purification even with holy water,” he remarked.
TSF leaders confirmed that Tuesday’s agitation was limited to Agartala, though similar protests have been held earlier in rural areas.
Debbarma concluded by introducing himself to the media as Vice President of TSF.
