Farmers to hold victory march today after year-long protest comes to end

Chandigarh: Farmers camping at Delhi's Singhu and Tikri borders will take out a victory march today as they head to their homes after the year-long agitation that forced the government to repeal the contentious farm laws and agree to their other demands.

On December 13, the protesting farmers have decided to pay homage at the Golden Temple in Amritsar while the Samyukta Kisan Morcha has planned to hold another meeting in Delhi on December 15.

As they prepare to leave their protest sites on Delhi's borders today, many have said that they will reinstall their tents in their villages as a symbol of their long, arduous struggle.

The farmers' unions have also decided to honour locals who helped the farmers at Delhi's Singhu, Tikri, and Ghazipur borders while they braved extreme weather and COVID-19 pandemic living in tents on highways during the year-long protest, news agency PTI reported.

PTI reported a leader of the Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta (Ugrahan) as saying that farmer leaders are also visiting villages located near the Tikri border protest site to thank the people who supported the agitation.

Farmers are now dismantling their makeshift accommodations at the border sites as their year-long agitation draws to an end.

As per reports, special arrangements have been made along the highways to greet the farmers as they head home on tractors.

The victory march was initially planned for yesterday, but it was postponed in the wake of the tragic helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu that killed 13 people, including Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat.

Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement to cancel the three laws, farmers had stayed put at the protest sites, citing other demands that included a legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price (MSP) and withdrawal of cases registered against protesting farmers.

They announced their decision to return only after the centre sent a written proposal on the outstanding demands to the five-member committee of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, which is spearheading the agitation.

The centre has agreed to form a committee to decide the MSP issue. The committee will comprise government officials, agriculture experts and representatives from Kisan Morcha. The government has also agreed to drop all police cases against farmers, including stubble burning complaints and those filed by Haryana and Uttar Pradesh police following clashes with protesters.

On the Kisan Morcha's demand for compensation for the deaths of 700-odd farmers during the protest, the centre has said Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have given in-principle approval and Punjab has already made an announcement.

The centre's proposal had come after Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to farmer leaders over the phone to discuss outstanding issues.