Tripura Shuts Down: TSF’s Indefinite Strike Over Kokborok Script Paralyzes Highways, Railways

Agartala, Mar 21: Ambulances stranded, cities paralyzed, and a government under fire—Tripura’s Twipra Students’ Federation (TSF) has unleashed an indefinite strike, blocking highways and railways to demand Roman script for the Kokborok language, a tribal fight since 1968. Supported by IPFT and TIPRA Motha—both allies of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)—along with Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman and royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarma, TSF’s protests have disrupted Agartala and beyond, stranding patients, commuters, and travellers, while Chief Minister Prof. (Dr.) Manik Saha promises a resolution amid public outrage over administrative inaction.

Tripura is engulfed in chaos as the Twipra Students’ Federation (TSF), backed by the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) and TIPRA Motha Party—both key allies of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)—as well as TIPRA Motha’s student wing Tipra Indigenous Students Federation (TISF), Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman, and royal scion Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, presses a decades-old demand for Kokborok in Roman script with an indefinite strike that began Friday, March 21, 2025.

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Meanwhile, in the Tripura Assembly’s budget session, Chief Minister Prof. (Dr.) Manik Saha addressed the crisis with a commitment to act, stating, “We’re a problem-solving government that respects all languages and cultures. We’ve discussed this—why Roman and not Devanagari? It’s part of the Delhi tripartite agreement. We’ll solve it without compromising students’ futures. Of 1,412 Kokborok examinees this year, 1,339 appeared, and 73 didn’t. If invigilators explain properly, students shouldn’t face issues. We won’t compromise with their future and will take steps to ensure no problems arise.” His assurance came as the state grappled with unprecedented disruption.

The protests have brought Tripura to a standstill, beginning with TSF activists, led by Manish Debbarma, president of the Agartala Town Committee, blocking the national highway at the Circuit House area in Agartala. Speaking to the media, Debbarma said, “Since 1968, we’ve fought for Kokborok in Roman script. Commissions like Shyama Charan Tripura, Pabitra Sarkar, and Atul Debbarma supported it, but the government buried their reports. They’re playing with tribal emotions and politicizing students, leaving us no choice but highways.” The blockade of VIP Road, a critical route to GB Pant Hospital, the High Court, MBB Airport, and paramilitary camps, stalled ambulances for hours—some diverted to IGM Hospital—as roads like Battala, Barjala, and Abhoynagar became impassable. Minister Sushanta Chowdhury, en route to the Assembly, was halted in Kunjaban and took a detour, later voicing frustration, while air travellers missed flights and government offices paused for two to three hours.

The unrest spread beyond Agartala, with TSF halting a DEMU train in Jolaibari despite announcing only a highway blockade, leaving passengers stranded, one of whom noted, “We planned for the train since the highway was closed, but they blocked that too.” In Gandacherra, vehicles, markets, schools, and offices shut down under TSF’s Kshatra Joy Reang, who led peaceful picketing, while Khowai, Kamalpur, Belfang, and Baramura faced similar highway closures, paralyzing rural Tripura.

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By noon, TIPRA Motha supremo Pradyot Debbarma joined the Circuit House protest, declaring, “This isn’t a political party’s fight—it’s the Tripuri people’s democratic right. Our MLAs will raise it in Parliament, and our people will raise it on the streets until the demand is met. If students fail, their future’s ruined—they’ll be called extremists. Our alliance is with the Tripuri people, not any party or government,” a stance notable given TIPRA Motha’s BJP alliance.

Political support widened as Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman stopped en route to the Assembly, and endorsed TSF, saying, “The Congress has long demanded Roman script for Kokborok because students struggle with Devanagari. Past and present governments have ignored this, suppressing commission reports and stoking controversy. I raised it in the last session and will again today.” Yet public anger is surging, with one resident lamenting, “If protests block main roads during office hours, how much must people suffer? This is beyond the Chief Minister’s understanding,” and another adding, “The administration could’ve cleared them in minutes, but the government’s weakness emboldened this.” As TSF threatens escalation if unmet, Tripura stands at a tense juncture, with the BJP-led government and its allies facing pressure from both their supporters and a frustrated populace.