From Potti Sriramulu to Sonam Wangchuk: Hunger strikes that changed India’s politics
This article explores the historical significance of hunger strikes in India, tracing the tactic from Mahatma Gandhi to modern activists like Sonam Wangchuk. It highlights how fasting has been used as a non-violent tool to influence political outcomes and demand government accountability.
Why it matters
Understanding the history of protest tactics provides context for current civil unrest and political dissent in India.
‘Hunger strike’ or ‘fast unto death’ has been observed in the annals of India’s history as one of most crushing forms of non-violent protest, demanding immediate attention to a prevailing issue. Based in Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals of satyagraha, fasting has emerged as a potent tool to bring immediate attention to demand justice and influence opinion. The crux of the method lies on the simple idea: a person or a community purposefully goes into fasting for an indefinite period to pressurise the state for immediate action.
In the face of an acrimonious British colonial rule, Mahatma Gandhi undertook several fasts between 1918 and 1948 to lodge protest against communal violence, partisan policies, and high tax measures. Revolutionary leader Bhagat Singh had also leveraged the tactic, demanding equal treatment for Indian political prisoners under British rule.
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