Shibu Soren conferred Padma Bhushan posthumously

JMM founder and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren was posthumously conferred the Padma Bhushan on Tuesday. His wife, Roopi Soren, received the award from President Droupadi Murmu at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

The honour, India’s third-highest civilian award, recognises Soren’s decades-long contribution to tribal rights, social justice and the movement that eventually led to the creation of Jharkhand in 2000.

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Widely known as “Guruji,” Soren emerged as one of the most influential tribal leaders in eastern India after launching campaigns against exploitation and the mahajani system in the Santhal Pargana region. He later became a central figure in the Jharkhand statehood movement and founded the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), which played a pivotal role in the struggle for a separate state.

Soren served three terms as Chief Minister of Jharkhand and represented the Dumka parliamentary constituency multiple times. His political career spanned more than five decades and significantly shaped the state’s social and political landscape.

Leaders across the political spectrum welcomed the honour. JMM leaders described it as recognition of Soren’s lifelong commitment to the rights of tribal communities and marginalised sections.

Soren passed away on 4 August 2025 at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi. His death was widely mourned across Jharkhand, where he continues to be remembered as one of the foremost architects of the state’s identity and political consciousness.