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Politics
1952 Hunger Strike by Potti Sriramulu Sparks Telangana State Movement
✍️ The Hindu
🗓 22 Jul 2026, 07:06 PM
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Potti Sriramulu’s 66‑day hunger strike in 1952, demanding a separate Telangana state, ended in his death and ignited a movement that eventually led to the creation of Telangana in 2014.
In July 1952, Potti Sriramulu, a prominent freedom fighter from the Hyderabad State, began a hunger strike demanding a separate state for the Telangana region. The fast, which lasted 66 days, drew widespread attention across the country. On 15 July, after exhausting his strength, Sriramulu died in a hospital in Hyderabad.
Sriramulu’s death sparked massive protests in Telangana and the surrounding areas. The public outcry forced the Indian government to reconsider the administrative status of the region. Over the next decade, the movement gained momentum, with political leaders and civil society demanding statehood.
The culmination of these efforts came in 2014 when the Indian Parliament passed the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, carving out Telangana as the 29th state of India. Sriramulu’s sacrifice is remembered as a pivotal moment that galvanized the region’s quest for self‑governance.
Sriramulu’s death sparked massive protests in Telangana and the surrounding areas. The public outcry forced the Indian government to reconsider the administrative status of the region. Over the next decade, the movement gained momentum, with political leaders and civil society demanding statehood.
The culmination of these efforts came in 2014 when the Indian Parliament passed the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, carving out Telangana as the 29th state of India. Sriramulu’s sacrifice is remembered as a pivotal moment that galvanized the region’s quest for self‑governance.