Hyderabad,  Dr. Kolluri Chiranjeevi, one of the first activists of separate Telangana movement, passed away at a private hospital here on Monday following a brief illness. He was 74.

Convenor of the 1969 Telangana Movement Founders Forum, Kolluri Chiraneevi was admitted to the hospital a few days ago with respiratory problems.

As the family was facing difficulties in meeting the expenses for his treatment, the Telangana government on February 27 sanctioned Rs 10 lakh from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund (CMRF).

Health Minister Etela Rajendar and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader K. Kavitha had also visited the hospital and met Dr. Kolluri's family.

Hailing from Warangal district, Dr. Kolluri played an active role in the 1969 Telangana movement when he was pursuing MBBS from the Kakatiya Medical College.

An activist and a historian, Kolluri was once associated with the People's War movement, a far-Left communist outfit founded by Kondapalli Seetharamaiah in 1980. He remained underground for about five years but later left the group.

He was also associated with the Dalit movement in 1990s when he tried to bring Dalits together under the leadership of Kanshiram, the founder of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

Kolluri also played a key role in the second phase of Telangana movement which began in early 2000s. He served as a member of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) that led the movement.

In 2011, he re-published the book 'Tragedy of Hyderabad', a first person account of the tumultuous events leading up to the merger of Hyderabad with the Indian Union, penned by Mir Laiq Ali, the last Prime Minister of Hyderabad State.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and several of his cabinet colleagues expressed their condolences over the death of Dr. Kolluri Chiranjeevi.

The Chief Minister said that Chiranjeevi's life is an ideal for society, as he was a qualified doctor who lived for the well being of the society. He conveyed his condolences to members of the bereaved family.

Minister K.T. Rama Rao, Eatala Rajender and T. Harish Rao also condoled the death of the leading activist.