Hartal (pronounced[ɦəɽ.t̪aːl]) is a term in many Indian languages for a strike action that was first used during the Indian independence movement (also known as the nationalist movement) of the early 20th century. A hartal is a mass protest, often involving a total shutdown of workplaces, offices, shops, and courts of law, and a form of civil disobedience similar to a labour strike. In addition to being a general strike, it involves the voluntary closure of schools and places of business. It is a mode of appealing to the sympathies of a government to reverse an unpopular or unacceptable decision.[1] A hartal is often used for political reasons, for example by an opposition party protesting against a governmental policy or action.
The term comes from Gujarati (હડતાળ, haḍtāḷ, or હડતાલ, haḍtāl), signifying the closing down of shops and warehouses with the goal of satisfying a demand. Mahatma Gandhi, who hailed from Gujarat, used the term to refer to his pro-independence general strikes, effectively institutionalizing the term.
Hartal is step 118 in Gene Sharp's 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action.[2]
The word is used to refer to various general strikes in the 1940s, the 1950s, and the 1960s such as the All-Malaya Hartal of 1947 and the 1967 Penang Hartal riot.[3]
The term was revived in modern Malaysia to the Hartal Doktor Kontrak, a strike by doctors in July 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic in response to the lack of permanent employment opportunities provided for them.[4][5]
Chowdhury, Mahfuzul H. (2003). Democratization in South Asia : lessons from American institutions. Ashgate. pp. 84, 92. ISBN0-7546-3423-X.
Baxter, Craig; Malik, Yogendra K.; Kennedy, Charles H.; Oberst, Robert C., eds. (2002) [First published 1987]. Government and politics in South Asia (5th ed.). Westview Press. p. 296. ISBN0-8133-3901-4.
Riaz, Ali; Sajjadur Rahman, Mohammad (2016). Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Bangladesh. Routledge. pp. 17–18. ISBN978-0-415-73461-5.
Hossain, Akhtar (May–June 2000). "Anatomy of Hartal Politics in Bangladesh". Asian Survey. 40 (3): 508–529. doi:10.2307/3021159. JSTOR3021159.