New Delhi, August 4: Shibu Soren, the towering tribal leader, former Chief Minister of Jharkhand, and founding patron of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), passed away on Monday at the age of 81 after a prolonged illness. His death was confirmed by his son and current Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren.
“Respected Guru Dishom has left us all. Today, I have become empty…” Hemant Soren posted in Hindi on social media platform X, paying tribute to his father, fondly known as “Guruji” or “Dishom Guru.”
Soren breathed his last at 8:56 a.m. at Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, where he had been undergoing treatment for kidney-related complications and had been on life support for over a month. The hospital confirmed that he had suffered a stroke nearly six weeks ago and had remained critical under the supervision of Dr A.K. Bhalla and a multi-specialty team.
Born on January 11, 1944, in Nemra village (then part of Bihar, now Jharkhand), Soren was a member of the Santhal tribal community. His political journey began early with the founding of the Santhal Navyuvak Sangh at age 18. In 1972, he co-founded the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha alongside A.K. Roy and Binod Bihari Mahato, becoming a key figure in the tribal rights and Jharkhand statehood movement.
Soren served as Jharkhand’s Chief Minister three times — in 2005, 2008–2009, and 2009–2010 — though his terms were often marred by political instability. A stalwart of regional and tribal politics, he was elected to the Lok Sabha eight times and served two terms in the Rajya Sabha, the second of which was ongoing at the time of his passing.
