Former Jharkhand CM Shibu Soren passes away at 81

The JMM patriarch was admitted to the Sri Ganga Ram Hospital in the national capital since last month with a kidney-related issue.

Shibu Soren, former Jharkhand Chief Minister and founding patron of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) passed away at 81 in Delhi’s Sri Gangaram Hospital after a prolonged illness.

He has been the leader of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha for the past 38 years and is recognised as the party's founding patron. Soren, a prominent tribal leader and three-time Chief Minister of Jharkhand, played a central role in the movement for statehood and remained a key political figure in eastern India for decades.

Soren's son and Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren shared the news of his father's death on X. "Beloved Dishom Guruji has left us. I lost everything today," he said.

Soren, has been receiving regular treatment at the hospital for an extended period. "He was admitted here recently, so we came to see him. His health issues are currently being examined," Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said on June 24 when his father was admitted.

Remembering former Jharkhand chief minister Shibu Soren as a mass leader, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was pained at his death on Monday. “He was particularly passionate about empowering tribal communities, the poor and downtrodden,” Modi's post further said.

Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi issued a statement confirming the time and cause of death of the 81-year-old leader. “Shibu Soren was declared dead at 8:56 am today. He died after a prolonged illness. He was suffering from a kidney ailment, and had suffered a stroke a month and a half back. He was on the life support system for the last one month,” ANI quoted the hospital as saying.