Farmers begin vacating protest sites, take out victory march as year-long protests come to an end
Ladders, tarpaulin, poles and ropes lay scattered at the once-buzzing protest site, while blankets, pillows, mattresses and chairs were neatly stacked on the roadside.
FollowAfter more than a year of protesting at Delhi's borders, farmers' unions have started vacating the borders ending their agitation against the three farm laws that have been repealed now. The protesters had declared that they would vacate the site at around 9:00 am on Saturday after receiving a formal letter from the Centre agreeing to consider their pending demands and officially called off the protests earlier this week.
Speaking to ANI, Manpreet Singh, Executive Member of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Punjab said, "We have won this battle after the struggles of a year-long protest. We are happy that the Central government has agreed to fulfill our pending demands. We are packing here and will return to our homes at 9 am on December 11."
Large parts of the Singhu border protest site lay vacant after a number of farmers bundled up their belongings and headed home on tractors, while others worked long hours to dismantle the makeshift accommodations they built painstakingly over the last year. Tractors bedecked with colourful lights rolled out of the protest site blaring songs of victory. The elderly flaunted their colourful turbans and danced with the youngsters.
Ladders, tarpaulin, poles and ropes lay scattered at the once-buzzing protest site, while blankets, pillows, mattresses and chairs were neatly stacked on the roadside.
Also read: Farmers call off protests; ‘may resume agitation if government doesn't fulfill promises’
BKU leader Rakesh Tikait said it will take four to five days to vacate the protest sites. "A large group of farmers shall vacate the area at 8 AM tomorrow. In today's meeting, we'll talk, pray, and meet the people who helped us. People have started vacating already," the farm leader said from the Ghazipur border. He added that he would be leaving on December 15.
The agitators however will convene a review meeting on January 15 to see if their demands have been fulfilled by the government.
Earlier on November 29, both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha passed the Farm Laws Repeal Bill on the first day of the winter session of Parliament.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police will remove the multiple layers of barricades at the three farmers’ protest sites in a phased manner depending on the movement of the protesters who will start returning home from December 11.
