Farmers End Protest After Delhi Midnight March, Schools Shut In Ghaziabad

Thousands of farmers ended their protests after they were allowed to enter Delhi early this morning. But, all schools and colleges in Ghaziabad will remain closed today.

The Delhi Traffic Police said the traffic on National Highway-24 is now open.

Late on Tuesday night, the police opened the barricades at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border, allowing the farmers to enter the capital. Led by Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) chief Naresh Tikait, over 400 tractors carrying thousands of farmers reached Kisan Ghat.

At around 5.30 am, the farmers began dispersing from Delhi's Kisan Ghat.

"Schools and colleges in Ghaziabad will remain closed tomorrow on account of the ongoing Kisan Kranti Padyatra," a statement issued by the Ghaziabad administration yesterday read

The farmers said they have reached an agreement with the Centre, which, according to them, has accepted "most of the demands". They said that their prime demand of increasing the price of crops has been agreed upon by the government.

"There are several issues. We will wait and see what will be done in five to six days. Many farmers left left their homes 10 to 16 days ago. So we're sending them back home," Rakesh Tikait, spokesperson of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), told NDTV.

On Tuesday, the farmers were stopped from entering the national capital which resulted in a violent clash with the police. They have been protesting as part of their "Kisan Kranti Padyatra" to demand loan waiver, subsidised electricity and fuel, pension for farmers above 60 and implementation of recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission.

The 'Kisan Kranti Padyatra' began from Tikait Ghat in Haridwar on September 23 and farmers from places as far as Gonda, Basti and Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh and the sugarcane belt of western UP joined the agitation.

They came on foot, in buses and tractor trolleys. They carried banners of Bhartiya Kisan Union, which gave the call for the march to press for a series of demands. Their list of demands include unconditional loan waiver for farmers, clearing of dues by sugar mills, higher prices for crops, free electricity for farms and a cut in diesel prices.