Gherao

Gherao, meaning "encirclement", is a word which denotes a tactic used by labour activists and union leaders in India; it is similar to picketing. Usually, a group of people would surround a politician or a government building until their demands are met, or answers given. This principle was introduced as a formal means of protest in the labour sector by Subodh Banerjee, the PWD and Labor Minister in the 1967 and 1969 United Front Governments of West Bengal, respectively.[1][2]

Owing to its popularity, the word “gherao” was added to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary in 2004. Page 598 has the entry: “Gherao: n (pl. gheraos). Indian; a protest in which workers prevent employers leaving a place of work until demands are met; Origin: From Hindi” and Subodh Banerjee was referred to as the Gherao minister.[3]

Gherao is being used by farmers against government buildings during the ongoing 2020 Indian farmer protests.[4]

See also

References
  1. Dasgupta, Surajit Kumar; Dāśagupta, Surajit̲a (December 19, 1992). West Bengal's Jyoti Basu: A Political Profile Page 27. Gian Publishing House. ISBN 9788121204200 – via Google Books.
  2. "Populist Governance". Archived from the original on 2009-04-18. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
  3. "A Defiant Rebel - Mainstream Weekly". www.mainstreamweekly.net.
  4. Talwar, Gaurav (8 December 2020). "Farm protests: AAP holds protest march to gherao CM's office, stopped by police | Dehradun News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 22 December 2020.


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