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Potti Sreeramulu (IAST: Poṭṭi Śrīrāmulu, ; 16 March 1901 – 15 December 1952) was an Indian freedom fighter known for his pivotal role in the creation of Andhra State. Revered as " Amarajeevi" ("Immortal Being"), he is remembered for his commitment to social justice and the upliftment of , organizing fasts to advocate for their rights and access to religious sites. Influenced by Mahatma Gandhi, Sreeramulu participated in major independence movements, including the Salt March and Quit India movement, and was imprisoned multiple times.
Sreeramulu is most noted for his 58-day hunger strike in 1952, demanding a separate state for Telugu language-speaking people from the Madras Presidency. His death during the protest sparked widespread riots and public outcry, prompting Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to announce the formation of Andhra State. This movement set a precedent for the reorganization of states along linguistic lines in India. Sreeramulu's legacy is commemorated in Andhra Pradesh and beyond as a symbol of sacrifice and dedication to regional and social causes.
Between 1923 and 1944, he worked for the widespread adoption of charkha textile-spinning in Nellore district. He was known for taking food provided by all households, regardless of caste or creed. He undertook three fasts, during 1946–1948, in support of Dalit rights to enter holy places, such as the temples of Nellore. He fasted in support of Dalit entry rights to the Venu Gopala Swamy Temple in Moolapeta, Nellore, rights which were eventually secured. He again fasted to receive favourable orders, passed by the Madras government, to further uplift the Dalit community.
As a result, the government instructed District Collectors to attend to measures of Dalit upliftment for at least one day per week. During the last stages of his life, Sreeramulu stayed in Nellore and worked for Dalit upliftment, walking the city with slogan placards calling for Dalit upliftment, barefoot and with no umbrella against the sun. Some locals thought him insane, and he was chastised by the non Dalit castes and his own Komati caste community for his solidarity with the Dalit cause.
With the Andhra State still not granted, Sreeramulu resumed his hunger strike, at the Madras house of Maharshi Bulusu Sambamurti on 19 October 1952, despite the entreaties of supporters who stated that retention of Madras was a futile cause. Despite the Andhra Congress committee's disavowal of the fast, this action captured the public attention.
Despite strikes and demonstrations by the Andhra people, the government made no clear statement regarding the formation of the new state, and Sreeramulu died during the night of 16 December 1952. Only one person before him in modern Indian history, Jatindra Nath Das, actually fasted to death; all the others either gave up or were arrested and force fed or hospitalised. Fast and Win. Time, 29 December 1952
In his death procession, people shouted slogans praising his sacrifice, with thousands more joining as the procession reached Mount Road, Madras. The procession broke into a riot and accompanying destruction of public property. As the news spread, disorder broke out in Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Bhimavaram, Tadepalligudem, Rajahmundry, Eluru, Guntur, Tenali, Ongole, Kanigiri and Nellore. Police fatally shot seven people in Anakapalle and Vijayawada. The popular agitation continued for three to four days disrupting normal life in Madras and Andhra regions. On 19 December 1952, Prime Minister Nehru announced that a separate Andhra state would be formed.
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