The 12-hours statewide strike called by Twipra Students’ Federation (TSF) demanding Roman script for Kokborok language on Monday has evoked thin response, but normal life in Agartala along with other sub divisional towns remain same as the strike does not impact any major effect.

The activists of TSF blocked roads in many places including in Northgate area of Agartala. Later, police and security forces withdrew their blockade and resumed normal traffic movements.

Sources said that the students of TSF along with supporters of Tipra-Motha has also blocked the roads in Hejamara, Bishramganj, Baramora hills and Ambassa in Dhalai district since Monday morning and engaged scuffle with security forces at the National Highway portion of  Baramura hill range. But, the police cleared the road by arresting the picketers. During scuffle with security forces at Baramura , few students of TSF were injured  and they were shifted to hospital.

Police sources said that altogether 284 picketers were arrested from West Tripura and Dhalai districts and all were released before 5 PM.

So far, no untoward incident was reported surrounding the Bandh. During the road blockade, the police arrived at every place and arrested the blockaders and took them in police vans.

All offices, both government and private except few in ADC headquarters, Khumwlung, educational institutions, shops, commercial establishments in all districts, including the main commercial hub Agartala remained open barring some business establishments in rural tribal dominated areas remained closed.

However, normal life was crippled in ADC headquarters as government and private offices, shops and markets and all other institutions were shut responding to the shutdown call. No vehicular movements were seen at the ADC headquarters till 6 PM of the evening. The train services from Agartala to other destinations were normal.

Police added that there was no significant impact of the shutdown and only in some highways; vehicular movements were slightly disturbed for a brief period as the agitators held demonstrations.

TSF President Samrat Debbarma and General Secretary Hamulu Jamatia said that they earlier met Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya and Chief Minister Manik Saha and submitted memoranda but they have yet to take any favourable steps on their demands. TSF also demanded for the placing of the 125th Amendment Bill in Parliament for the greater interest of indigenous people.

Tripura has a 12 lakh tribal population out of its 40 lakh inhabitants and 70 per cent of the tribals speak in the Kokborok language, which was recognised as the second official language by the then CPI(M) led Left Front government in 1979.

The demand for the Roman script for Kokborok recently got stronger after there were reports that students in various schools in Tripura, specially the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)run schools, were compelled to write answers for the Kokborok subject in the CBSE board examination in the Bengali script.

The Tipra-Motha has also been spearheading agitations across Tripura demanding the introduction of the Roman script for Kokborok. For over five decades, there has been a debate over the use of the Bengali and Roman scripts for the Kokborok language. While some Kokborok speakers favour Bengali, the majority of the tribal intellectuals and academicians advocate for the Roman script.

Since 1988, two commissions have been set up on the issue under tribal leader Shyama Charan Tripura and linguist and academician Pabitra Sarkar.