‘Hunger strike’ or ‘fast unto death’ It has been seen as one of the most crushing forms of non-violent protest in the history of India, demanding immediate attention to a prevalent issue. Based on Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals of Satyagraha, fasting has emerged as a powerful tool to draw immediate attention to the demand for justice and influence opinion. The essence of the method is based on a simple idea: an individual or community deliberately fasts for an indefinite period to put pressure on the state for immediate action.
In the face of bitter British colonial rule, Mahatma Gandhi observed several fasts between 1918 and 1948 to register his protest against communal violence, discriminatory policies and high tax measures. Revolutionary leader Bhagat Singh also took advantage of this strategy, demanding equal treatment for Indian political prisoners under British rule.
Hunger strikes were also carried out by political leaders as a form of expression of dissent. in 2009 then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. KarunanidhiFasted demanding an immediate ceasefire in Sri Lanka, where there was brutal violence against Tamils ​​during the Eelam War. His fast ended within a day after assurance from the Central Government. In 1993, Chief Minister Jayalalitha launched a high-profile hunger strike demanding the release of Cauvery water from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu. Despite their different contexts, both protests elicited substantial outpourings of sympathy in key public spheres.
With Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike – demanding resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and accountability in the NEET paper leak gaining momentum – here are some prominent activists and leaders whose hunger strikes shaped politics in India’s post-independence history.
Potti Sriramulu: Birth of Andhra Pradesh
Statue of Potti Sriramulu in Tirupati. File photo. | Photo Courtesy: KV Purnachandra Kumar
Potti Sriramulu’s hunger strike in 1952, Demand for a separate state for Telugu speaking peopleremains one of The most consequential case of hunger strike in the history of India. His dream of linguistic identity influenced native Telugu speakers. After a rigorous fast of 58 days, he died on December 15, 1952, triggering widespread protests throughout the Madras Presidency. Large-scale unrest, resorting to widespread violence, led the government of then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to create Andhra State in 1953. Later, this set the stage for the States Reorganization Act, 1956, which reorganized India’s borders largely on linguistic lines.
Irom Sharmila: 16 years long fight against AFSPA
Irom Sharmila in the special ward of Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) hospital after breaking her 16-year-long fast in Imphal on August 10, 2016. Photo Credit: Ritu Raj Konwar
Recognized as “Iron Lady of Manipur” Irom Sharmila Began his hunger strike in November 2000 in response to malom massacre Which took the lives of 10 civilians. Their hunger strike demanded its repeal Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA). Sharmila fought a long battle to establish human rights violations in conflict affected areas. She survived by force-feeding through a nasal tube for nearly 16 years, while being repeatedly arrested on charges of attempting suicide. Despite his clear call for repeal of the AFSPA, the controversial law remained in force during most of his protest. However, his campaign changed the national discourse on civil liberties, fundamental rights, use of military force by the state, putting the international spotlight on the issue.
Anna Hazare: Fasting for anti-corruption bill
Social activist Anna Hazare on the first day of his fast unto death in New Delhi. | Photo courtesy: Sushil Kumar Verma
Social activist Anna Hazare In 2011, he took charge of hunger strike politics when he started an indefinite hunger strike demanding a Janlokpal law To fight corruption. Their protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi became an important movement for the fight against corruption. This also gave birth to the India Against Corruption campaign. It became one of the important movements of the country, uniting the dissent of the common people against the then Congress government.
Medha Patkar: Fasting for environmental justice
Medha Patkar, leader of Narmada Bachao Andolan. Photo courtesy: Murali Kumar
The architect is Medha Patkar Narmada Bachao AndolanSat on an indefinite hunger strike protesting the displacement of thousands of families due to large dam projects. Their fast was more focused on demanding fair rehabilitation, environmental protection measures and adherence to legal commitments. Their prolonged fast forced courts, governments, and international funding agencies to scrutinize resettlement policies more closely, making displacement and environmental justice a central issue in India’s development debate.
Mamata Banerjee: Singur Movement
The West Bengal government criticized Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee on the sixth day of her hunger strike in Singur. | Photo Credit: Sushant Patronbish
Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee led the party to a crushing defeat in 2006. 26 days hunger strike Against the acquisition of agricultural land in Singur for Tata Motors’ Nano project. This fast was important in promoting the anti-land acquisition movement of West Bengal, motivating farmers and opposition parties. Although the immediate standoff remained unresolved, the movement became a decisive force in destroying the political prestige of the Left Front government. Ms Banerjee rode the anti-land acquisition wave to the Singur and Nandigram movements in 2011 to end the Left’s 34-year rule in West Bengal, showing how hunger strikes can become a catalyst for broader political change.
K.Chandrashekhar Rao: Relentless fast for formation of Telangana
TRS President K. Chandrasekhar Rao ended his fast by accepting a glass of lemon juice from party leaders in Hyderabad. | Photo Courtesy: Shivakumar P.V
demanding a separate stateBharat Rashtra Samithi (erstwhile Telangana Rashtra Samithi) founder K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) began an indefinite hunger strike on November 29, 2009. His determination to demand the formation of ‘Telangana’ led to widespread protests, student agitations and bandhs across the region. This increased the pressure on the centre. A few days later, the central government announced the initiation of the process of Telangana statehood, marking a turning point in the decades-old movement. Eventually, Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh on 2 June 2014, making Rao’s fast one of the largest hunger strikes in post-independence India.
GD Aggarwal (Swami Gyan Swaroop Sanand): Fast for the survival of Ganga.
On June 18, 2012, Hindu monks staged a ‘Save Ganga’ protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, urging the government to take immediate steps to clean the river. Ganga Seva Abhiyanam started the ‘Save Ganga Movement’ on 14 January, when Swami Gyan Swaroop Sanad (renowned environmentalist Professor GD Aggarwal) started a fast to save the river. | Photo Courtesy: Krishnan VV
environmentalists and Former professor of IIT Kanpur GD AggarwalLater known as Swami Gyan Swaroop Sanand, he took several extreme measures of hunger strike to demand stronger measures for the conservation of the Ganga. His last fast in 2018, which proved disastrous, had demanded a legally implementable framework to stop hydropower projects along with unhindered growth of projects along the river. He died in Rishikesh on October 11, 2018, after a grueling protest that lasted for 111 days. His death underlined the deep silence of the central government which failed to heed his many requests.
Sonam Wangchuk: To Ladakh
Social activist Sonam Wangchuk led a 21-day ‘climate fast’ in March 2024, demanding constitutional safeguards for Ladakh after the region was converted into a union territory in 2019. Meanwhile, Wangchuk sought inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to protect tribal lands and resources and stronger measures to preserve the delicate Himalayan ecology. The protest, supported by Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliancedrew nationwide attention to concerns over land rights, local employment and environmental protection.
The Ladakh administration charged him under the National Security Act (NSA) in September 2025. Later, he was granted bail Jodhpur Central Jail on 14 March 2026.
published – July 22, 2026 03:16 PM IST
