Gherao, meaning "encirclement", is a word which denotes a tactic used by labour activists and union leaders in India; it is similar topicketing. Usually, a group of people would surround a politician or a government building until their demands are met, or answers given.[1] This principle was introduced as a formal means of protest in the labour sector bySubodh Banerjee, the PWD and Labor Minister in the 1967 and 1969 United Front Governments ofWest Bengal, respectively.[2][3]
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 theGherao minister.[4]
Gherao was being used by farmers against government buildings in the2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest.[5]
