Gherao
Encyclopedia
Gherao, meaning "encirclement," is a word originally from Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...

 and is a typically Indian way of protest. 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 Banarjee
Subodh Banarjee
Subodh Banarjee was an Indian politician, belonging to the Socialist Unity Centre of India. He introduced the Gherao principle as a formal mode of protest in the trade union sector of India while being the Labour Minister in the 1969 United Front Government in West Bengal.,, He was the PWD...

, the PWD and Labor Minister in the 1967 and 1969 United Front Governments of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...

, respectively.

Owing to its popularity and intensity as a new method of labour action the word “gherao” got inducted into the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, Eleventh Edition, 2004, on page 598 has the following 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 Banarjee
Subodh Banarjee
Subodh Banarjee was an Indian politician, belonging to the Socialist Unity Centre of India. He introduced the Gherao principle as a formal mode of protest in the trade union sector of India while being the Labour Minister in the 1969 United Front Government in West Bengal.,, He was the PWD...

 was referred to as the Gherao minister. In usage, the past tense of the verb, gheraoed, is more common.

See also

  • Bandh
    Bandh
    Bandh , originally a Hindi word meaning 'closed', is a form of protest used by political activists in some countries like India and Nepal. During a Bandh, a political party or a community declares a general strike....

  • Bossnapping
    Bossnapping
    Bossnapping is a form of lock-in where employees detain management in the workplace, often in protest against lay-offs and redundancies, and has especially been carried out in France...

  • Lock-in
  • Picketing
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