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‘Victory March’; Farmers’ protest ends after 15 months, Traffic affected

On Saturday, When farmers from Punjab and Haryana were greeted with sweets and garlands en route back to their homes for the ‘victory’ of their protests. The agitation against the abolished farm laws was suspended last week. Farmers and villagers along the Delhi-Karnal-Ambala and Delhi-Hisar national highways, as well as on other state highways en route, welcomed and honored peasant families coming in tractor trolleys with garlands, ‘ladoos’, ‘barfis’, and other sweets.

Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), a conglomerate of 40 farmers’ unions, had on Thursday announced that farmers would go home on December 11 after protesting the three contentious farm laws for over a year. Villagers and others who supported the farmers’ agitation showered petals on peasants as they gathered by the roadside of highways to welcome them.

Many parts of the Delhi-Haryana national highway were clogged by tractor trolleys and other vehicles due to the large convoy. As they traveled back to their homes in Punjab and Haryana, elated farmers, especially young and female farmers, performed Punjab’s folk dance, the ‘bhangra,’ to the beat of the ‘dhol’. People gathered in Khanauri, near Punjab, in large numbers to greet the agitators and also burst firecrackers in celebration.

Farmers have been welcomed at toll plazas and other places along the national highways. Farmers returned home after the two-day agitation against the Center’s three farm laws was suspended. After performing ardas (prayer) at the Singhu border, a large convoy of tractor trolleys began returning to Punjab and Haryana. Featuring floral decorations and colourful lights, and sporting the national flag and flags of farmer bodies, tractors played Punjabi songs of victory while chants of ‘Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal’ filled the air.

During the agitation, the farmers carried cots, mattresses, utensils, and other possessions on tractor trolleys. An arrangement of ‘langars’ was made near the Bastara toll plaza in Karnal and the Shambhu border near Ambala for returning farmers. Some farmers, including women, were performing ‘bhangra’ at Shambhu border to welcome the farmers. Last year, the Haryana police on November 26 used water cannons and tear gas to stop farmers from heading toward the national capital at Shambhu, the interstate border on the national highway.

Haryana Police has made elaborate arrangements to ensure hassle-free traffic flow on the state’s national highways. According to a Haryana Police spokesperson, the district Superintendents of Police have been instructed to ensure the smooth flow of traffic in all districts between Delhi and Ambala, and Bahadurgarh and Hisar/Jind.

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On November 26 last year, farmers mainly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh protested at Delhi border points against the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. The laws have recently been repealed.

On Saturday, traffic slowed on the Delhi-Sonipat-Karnal National Highway (NH) as farmers began returning to their home states. There were long queues of vehicles on the highway. Traffic was moving slowly on the Sonipat-Karnal NH. A few vehicles were trying to go the wrong way, which caused further delays. At some points on the Delhi-Rohtak national highway as well, there had been a lot of traffic jams caused by a large number of farmers returning home.  Several police officers were deployed on key highways to manage traffic.

 

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