The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of 40 farm unions, on Thursday decided to suspend the over a year-long farmers’ movement against three contentious farm laws and announced that farmers would go back home on December 11 from the protest sites on Delhi’s borders. 

Farmer leaders said that they would again meet on January 15 to see if the government had fulfilled their demands. 

The announcement came after the SKM, which is spearheading the movement, received a signed letter from the Central government, where it has agreed to consider their pending demands, including withdrawal of cases against farmers and forming a committee on minimum support price (MSP). 

On Wednesday, the SKM had said that it had reached a consensus on a revised draft proposal of the Centre on its pending demands. 

“This is not the end, as the movement is just suspended. We have decided to meet again on January 15,” farmer leader and SKM core committee member Balbir Singh Rajewal said in a press conference today. 

Farmer leader and SKM member Gurnam Singh Chaduni said: “A review meeting will be convened on January 15 to see if the government met all the demands. If they do not, we can take a call on resuming the protest.” 

Farmer leaders said that farmers would take out victory marches on December 11 to their respective places. 

“Farmers will start vacating Delhi border points from December 11, and this may take some time,” farmer leader Rakesh Tikait said. 

Farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, had started protesting at Delhi border points on November 26 last year against the three farm laws. The laws have been repealed, but they are demanding legal guarantee on MSP for their crops and withdrawal of cases against farmers, among others.