Mahatma Gandhi devotee Anna Hazare began the hunger strike in New Delhi on Tuesday, winning wide support amid rising anger over rampant corruption scandals that have tainted Premier Manmohan Singh´s Congress-led government.[break]
The activist broke his fast with a sip of lemon juice as a festive air prevailed.
"Our fight must not end here," Hazare said, as thousands of supporters shouted "We are with you" and cheered him at the central Jantar Mantar landmark which the media dubbed "India´s Tahrir Square".
"The real fight begins now," Hazare said.
Hazare said "all of India has won a victory" after the Congress government announced late Friday it would accept his demands.
Singh said in a statement he was "happy that the government and representatives of civil society have reached an agreement in our mutual resolve to combat corruption.
"This is a scourge that confronts all of us," Singh said.
Hazare´s main demand was that members of civil society should sit on a committee drafting an ombudsman bill which would give teeth to anti-corruption laws, enabling prosecution of public officials such as ministers and bureaucrats.
The panel will be headed by India´s Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and a prominent human rights lawyer, Shanti Bhushan.
Thousands gathered to watch Hazare break his fast, from schoolchildren and middle-class professionals to representatives of political and social groups.
Crowds of young men and women waved flags and chanted in Hazare´s support as others burst firecrackers and sang patriotic songs.
A little boy offers sweets to a poster of Anna Hazare they celebrate in support of veteran Indian social activist Anna Hazare in Ahmedabad.
Sewing shop worker Nityanand, 32, made his way to the protest on crutches.
"I´m a poor man, but I came here to show this is not the fight of one man -- there are thousands like us standing right behind him," he said.
High school senior Manika Sahni, 18, told AFP, "It´s the first time I´ve been to a protest. It´s so encouraging to see this. Anna Hazare is a pure, honest person, not like our politicians."
After prolonged negotiations, the government caved in and said it would accept Hazare´s demands and introduce the ombudsman bill in the next parliamentary session.
The use of methods made famous by independence leader Gandhi, who pioneered fasting as a form of protest, and frail Hazare´s resemblance to the father of the nation helped him to spread his message.
Support poured in from many quarters and an online petition from campaign group Avaaz drew over 500,000 signatures in 24 hours.
Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan wrote a letter to Hazare, identifying himself with "the thousands who are fully supportive of your efforts".
The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry also backed him, saying, "Corruption in high places is denting India´s image."
In the meantime, helped by blanket media coverage, the campaign developed into a broader movement. Protest marches were held in Bangalore, Mumbai and other cities.
Support for Hazare was fuelled by a spate of scandals.
Last October´s Delhi Commonwealth Games were viewed as riddled with graft, while the allegedly fraudulent sale of telecom licences in 2008 caused losses estimated at billions of dollars to the treasury.
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