JMM Patriarch Shibu Soren Dies at 81

• Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren has died at the age of 81 after a month-long illness.
• He passed away at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi due to kidney-related problems.
• Known as ‘Dishom Guru,’ Soren was a central figure in the movement that led to the formation of Jharkhand state.

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 4th Aug: Former Jharkhand Chief Minister and a towering figure in tribal politics, Shibu Soren, passed away today at the age of 81. Known to his followers as ‘Dishom Guru,’ Soren had been undergoing treatment at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi for over a month for a kidney ailment.

According to a bulletin from the hospital, Soren had been on life support for the past month and passed away peacefully with his family by his side on Monday morning.

A co-founder of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) in 1973, Shibu Soren was a pivotal leader in the long-fought movement for the creation of a separate Jharkhand state, which was carved out of Bihar in 2000. His political life was dedicated to advocating for the rights of the Santhal and other tribal communities, and he served as the state’s Chief Minister three times. He was also a Union Minister for Coal.

His son and current Jharkhand Chief Minister, Hemant Soren, confirmed the news with an emotional post on X (formerly Twitter). “Respected Guru Dishom has left us all. Today, I have become empty…,” he wrote. The political legacy of the Soren family continues through Hemant Soren, who was elected JMM party president in April 2025, and other family members who are also active in state politics.

Condolences have poured in from across the political spectrum. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Soren as a “grassroots leader who rose through the ranks of public life with unwavering dedication to the people.” President Droupadi Murmu remembered him as a champion of “tribal identity” and social justice.

A popular and revered leader, Shibu Soren’s death marks the end of an era in Indian politics defined by the struggle for tribal rights and the formation of a new state.