Farmers Call Of Protests, Vacate Borders Around Delhi: Here's A Timeline Of Their Agitation

After announcing an end to their over-a-year-long agitation, farmers camping at Delhi borders- Singhu, Tikri and Ghaziabad- have started dismantling their makeshift accommodations, calling off the protest.

The farmers will take out a victory march today as they return to their villages in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh after Centre withdrew the three contentious farm laws. 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.

The decision to call of the protest came after farmers organisations like SKM and BKU confirmed that a formal letter with a proposal from the government, including the unconditional withdrawal of all police cases lodged against protesters during the agitation, was received.

Reuters

Earlier, Centre accepted all demands put forward by the protesting farmers, including the withdrawal of all agitation-related cases and compensation to the families of farmers who had died during the course of the movement against the contentious agriculture laws.

The movement against three new farm laws of the Centre began with a ¡°Dilli Chalo¡± programme on November 26-27 last year.

Farm laws will be withdrawn: PM

On November 19 this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in an announcement just months before elections in states like Uttar Pradesh and Punjab that the three controversial farm laws at the heart of massive farmer protests across the country for over a year will be withdrawn. PM Modi had also appealed to the farmers to call off their agitation and return home.

The agriculture laws were enacted on September 17, 2020. Following the enactment, protests by farmers from across the nation ¡ª mainly from Punjab and Haryana ¡ª have been ongoing on the borders of the national capital and in different parts of North India.

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Timeline

Here's a timeline of how farmers' protest unfolded as the movement completes a year:

November 25, 2020: Thousands of farmers marched towards the national capital demanding a complete repeal of the legislation, as part of a ¡°Dilli Chalo¡± campaign. In a bid to preevent protesters from reaching Delhi, police heavily barricaded all the three border sites leading commuters to take a longer de-route.

November 26, 2020: Farmers marching towards Delhi faced water cannons, tear gas as the police tried to disperse them at Haryana¡¯s Ambala district. Later, police allowed them to enter Delhi for their peaceful protest at Nirankari ground in North-West Delhi.

Reuters

November 28, 2020: Home Minister Amit Shah offered to hold talks with farmers as soon as they vacate Delhi borders and move to the designated protest site in Burari. However, farmers rejected his offer, demanding to hold the protest at Jantar Mantar.

December 3, 2020: The government held first round of talks with representatives of farmers but the meeting remained inconclusive.

December 8, 2020: Farmers gave a call for Bharat Bandh. Farmers from other states also gave their support to the call.

December 9, 2020: Farmer leaders rejected the Union government¡¯s proposal to amend the three contentious laws and vowed to further intensify their agitation until the laws are repealed.

December 21, 2020: Farmers held a one-day hunger strike at all protest sites.

BCCL

All rounds of talks failed

January 4, 2021: Seventh round of talks between government and farmer leaders also remained inconclusive with the Centre not agreeing to repeal the farm laws.

January 11, 2021: The Supreme Court rapped the Centre for its handling of the farmers¡¯ protest. The top court said it would constitute a committee headed by a former Chief Justice of India to resolve the deadlock.

January 12, 2021: The Supreme Court stayed the implementation of the three contentious farm laws and set up a four-member committee to make recommendations on the legislations after listening to all stakeholders.

January 26, 2021: On Republic day, thousands of protestors clashed with the police during the tractor parade called by farmer unions on January 26, demanding a repeal of the laws.

ANI

January 28, 2021: UP¡¯s Ghaziabad district issued orders for protesting farmers to vacate the site by night.

February 6, 2021: Protesting farmers held a nationwide ¡®Chakka Jam¡¯, or road blockade, for three hours from 12 noon to 3 pm.

February 18, 2021: Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), the umbrella body of farmer unions spearheading the agitations, called for a nationwide ¡®rail roko¡¯ protest. Trains were stopped, cancelled and rerouted in places around the country.

March 02, 2021: Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and other party leaders were detained by the Chandigarh Police from Sector 25 as they tried to march towards the Punjab Vidhan Sabha to gherao it.

BCCL

Farmers complete 100 days at Delhi's borders

March 06, 2021: Farmers complete 100 days at Delhi¡¯s borders.

May 27, 2021: Farmers observed a ¡®black day¡¯to mark six months of the agitation, and burned effigies of the government. Though the crowds at the three borders thinned, farm leaders had said that agitation will continue till 2024 if their demands were not met.

June 26, 2021: Farmers march to Delhi to mark seven months of protest against the farm laws. Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) said that farmers were detained in states like Haryana, Punjab, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana during the protests.

BCCL

July 22, 2021: About 200 protesting farmers started a parallel ¡°Monsoon Session¡±, Kisan Sansad, near the Parliament House, condemning the three farm laws.

August 7, 2021: Leaders of 14 opposition parties met at Parliament House and decided to visit Kisan Sansad at Delhi¡¯s Jantar Mantar, where a select group of farmer leaders have been holding a Kisan Sansad (farmers¡¯ parliament) since July 22.

August 28, 2021: Haryana Police cracked down on farmers in Karnal, leaving several injured in a lathicharge at the Bastara toll plaza on the national highway.

September 7 ¨C 9, 2021: Farmers reach Karnal in large numbers and laid siege to the mini-Secretariat.

Lakhimpur Kheri violence

October 3, 2021: As many as eight people, including four farmers and a journalist, were mowed down by a minister's convoy during a farmers' protest in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri district. Two of these cars belong to union minister Ajay Kumar Mishra. It was later established that the minister's son, Ashish Mishra, was in one of the three cars.

PTI

October 22, 2021: The Supreme Court observed that it was not against people¡¯s right to protest even on matters that are sub judice, but made it clear that such protesters cannot block public roads indefinitely.

October 29, 2021: The Delhi Police started removing barricades from the Ghazipur, Tikri border where farmers have been protesting.

November 19, 2021: PM Modi announces that the farm laws will be repealed.

December 9, 2021: The farmers protesting at the borders of the national capital decide to end their year-long movement.

Farm laws that are repealed

The three laws are the Farmers¡¯ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020; and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020. The farmers feared the laws will lead to the abolishment of the minimum support price (MSP) guaranteed by the government on select crops, and leave them at the mercy of big corporations.

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