The proverbial olive branch has been offered albeit grudgingly for no one, not even the most powerful man in the country have any idea how the next day will commence in the state of Manipur right now, let alone the hapless villagers who doesn’t have the slightest clue as to who are the invaders firing upon them and killing their kith and kin along the peripheries of the valley. Despite the uncertainties and fear of being attacked and displaced with their hearth and homes razed to the ground, a number of bunkers built by the villagers to repel the attacks on the villages were being dismantled voluntarily heeding the call of the central and the state government and willing to put their faith as well as their lives to the assurances of the authorities. This gesture of peace is perhaps the most significant development in the relentless cycle of violence that has gripped the state for more than sixty six days and one that could mark a new approach and beginning of a march towards peace. A positive and heartening development we all could agree, but is it going to be reciprocated – the most important question that can only be answered by those who still have their fingers on the triggers of the sophisticated weapons. Perhaps the mood can be more precisely gauged taking into account the declaration of war two days back and issuing a decree to all persons belonging to their community to return and take up arms. While the narratives of the two conflicting sides will invariably run opposite and accusations still fly thick and fierce, more than enough time has lapsed and hundreds of lives lost unnecessarily and yet no semblance of tangible effort towards ending this violence is visible till date. The highly suspicious act of the central government and its representatives summoning the leaders of groups party to the tripartite SoO pact to different places of the country and meeting behind closed doors lends itself to more speculations, mistrust and rumours that is eventually fueling the conflict. And despite the tall claims about the efficiency and accuracy of the intelligence reports, the genesis of the conflict has not been made public and neither side is ready to own up to igniting the present conflict which has been given a communal twist in an evident attempt to divert and confuse the issues. All these agenda and attempts are understandable even if no one in their right minds will approve.
While the state, the centre and the military are continuing to pass the buck around, putting the onus of resolving the present crisis solely on the courts of the parties on the opposite sides of the conflict, the voluntary dismantling of bunkers should be taken as a step towards peace that the collective authorities have been clueless about so far . If the trust and belief of the villagers are betrayed once more, the outcome would very well become too big and more complicated to even attempt redressal. The ball is now truly in the court of the state and the central government and such an honest opportunity might not come ever again and the present leaders will be remembered for their folly for generations.