Image Source: Agencies

Aug 4, 2025: President Droupadi Murmu paid her respects to Jharkhand Mukti Morcha founder Shibu Soren at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on Monday morning. Shibu Soren, also known as "Dishom Guru," was a respected tribal leader and former chief minister of Jharkhand. He passed away on Monday. He was 81.
His son, Jharkhand Chief Minister, Hemant Soren confirmed the news.
Shibu Soren was receiving treatment for kidney issues for more than a month at Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. He was critically ill and supported by a ventilator. Roopi Soren, his wife, and his three children are his survivors. "Dishom Guruji, a respected figure, has left us all... I have become 'shunya' (zero) today,” Hemant Soren posted on X.
Shibu Soren became a prominent political figure in eastern India after rising from humble tribal origins. He was born on January 11, 1944, in the village of Nemra, which is now in Jharkhand. In 1972, he established the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and led the decades-long movement for a separate Jharkhand state that represented the Santhal tribal community's aspirations. Three times, Soren was the Chief Minister of Jharkhand: briefly in 2005, then once more in 2008–09 and 2009–10. He also served as an MP for Dumka for a number of terms, was in the Rajya Sabha, and was Union Coal Minister in the early 2000s. Soren was first elected to the Lok Sabha from Dumka in 1980, after a failed bid in 1977.
He was appointed Union Coal Minister in 2004 during the UPA government and went on to serve multiple terms in Parliament. However, his time as a minister was cut short when he was forced to resign due to an old arrest warrant. After securing bail, he briefly rejoined the Cabinet later that year. Shibu Soren was elected Chief Minister of Jharkhand in 2005, but his government only lasted nine days because he failed to demonstrate his majority.
In 2008 and 2009, he served as CM once more, leading a fragile alliance. In 2006, Soren was found guilty of kidnapping and murdering his former secretary Shashinath Jha, marking one of the darkest periods in his life. The alleged 1993 JMM bribery scandal to save the Narasimha Rao government was linked to the case. As the first sitting Union Minister to be found guilty of murder, Soren received a life sentence. But in 2007, the Delhi High Court acquitted him, citing inconsistencies in the trial court's reasoning and inadmissible evidence.
Soren remained a formidable grassroots leader throughout his career, and under his direction, the JMM became a dominant force in tribal and regional politics in Jharkhand. His family, which includes his sons Hemant and Basant, maintains a significant amount of political power in the state.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had previously paid tribute to the former Jharkhand chief minister by visiting the hospital.