Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren passed away on Monday, his son and current chief minister Heman Soren confirmed. Taking to X, Heman Soren shared the news of the demise of his father. In a post on X, he said, “Respected Guru Dishom has left us all. Today, I have become empty”.
Shibu Soren (81), a Rajya Sabha MP, was the founder of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and a prominent tribal leader.He was suffering from a kidney-related ailment and was admitted to the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in the last week of June.
Minutes after Hemant Soren shared the news of the demise of his father, Shibu Soren, condolences by several political leaders poured in. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences, describing Shibu Soren as a ‘grassroots leader’ who dedicated his life to the welfare of tribals and the people of Jharkhand.”
Undisputed president of JMM
Shibu Soren, a prominent tribal leader and advocate for the rights and welfare of Jharkhand’s tribal communities, served as the President of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), a key constituent of the INDIA alliance. The party’s major goal was to secure a separate state for the tribal population, ultimately fulfilled by the creation of Jharkhand in 2000. He played a leading role in the movement for the creation of a separate Jharkhand state. He also held the position of Chief Minister of Jharkhand on three separate occasions.
Affectionately known as ‘Dishom Guru’ (Great Leader) by his supporters, Shibu Soren helmed the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) for nearly four decades—from 1987 until April 2025—serving as its undisputed president throughout.
Shibu Soren’s Tenure as Union Minister Marked by Legal Troubles and Controversy
Shibu Soren served as Union Coal Minister three times during the UPA government under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh — in 2004, from 2004 to 2005, and again in 2006. He resigned from the Cabinet after an arrest warrant was issued in connection with the 1974 Chirudih case, which involved a violent clash between tribals and Muslims.
After securing bail, he was re-inducted into the Union Cabinet but soon resigned to become the Chief Minister of Jharkhand. His tenure lasted just 10 days, after which he returned as Coal Minister in 2006.
Less than a year later, Soren was convicted of the murder of his former secretary, Shashinath Jha, marking the first time a Union Minister was found guilty in a murder case. However, the Delhi High Court later acquitted him.
His final term as Chief Minister ended abruptly after his party supported a motion brought by the UPA in Parliament — despite being in alliance with the BJP in Jharkhand. In retaliation, the BJP withdrew support, leading to the collapse of his government.
Shibu Soren’s early life
Shibu Soren was born in the Ramgarh district, which was part of undivided Bihar at the time. A member of the Santhal tribe, his father was killed by the goons allegedly hired by moneylenders. The killing of his father became a turning point in Shibu Soren’s life, cementing his early political activism against exploitation and injustice.
At the age of 18, he founded the Santhal Navyuvak Sangh to mobilize tribal youth. In 1972, he co-founded the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) along with Bengali Marxist trade unionist A.K. Roy and Kurmi-Mahato leader Binod Bihari Mahato. Soren became the party’s general secretary and played a central role in organising mass agitations to reclaim tribal lands that had been alienated by non-tribal settlers and landlords. These movements often involved forcibly harvesting crops on disputed land and holding ‘people’s courts’ to deliver summary justice against landlords and moneylenders. On January 23, 1975, Soren was accused of inciting a violent campaign to expel ‘outsiders’—non-tribal residents—from tribal-dominated areas.
His Lok Sabha run
Shibu Soren was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1980 from the Dumka constituency. He went on to win the seat again in 1989, 1991, and 1996. In 2002, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha, but soon after won the Dumka Lok Sabha seat in a by-election the same year, prompting his resignation from the Upper House. He was re-elected from Dumka in 2004. However, in a significant political setback, Soren lost his long-held bastion in the 2019 general elections, when the BJP’s Nalin Soren defeated him by a margin of over 45,000 votes.
Soren is survived by his wife, Roopi Soren, two sons, Hemant and Basant, and a daughter, Anjali. His elder son, Durga Soren, passed away in 2009. Hemant currently serves as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand and has recently assumed the role of JMM president, while Basant is a sitting MLA.