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 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ West Bengal's Jyoti Basu: A Political Profile Page 27{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Gian Publishing House(December 19, 1992). ISBN 9788121204200
- ↑ Populist Governance. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
- ↑ A Defiant Rebel - Mainstream Weekly. www.mainstreamweekly.net.
- ↑ Farm protests: AAP holds protest march to gherao CM's office, stopped by police | Dehradun News - Times of India, Talwar, Gaurav. The Times of India(8 December 2020). Retrieved 22 December 2020.