Dishom Guru's Passing Puts to Test Jharkhand's Commitment to Tribal Dreams

Shibu Soren's life tells the story of a people's journey from marginalisation to self-assertion.

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The crowds that thronged the corridors of Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on 4 August 2025 spoke of more than a political leader's passing. They were a testament to the stature of Shibu Soren, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) patriarch affectionately called "Dishom Guru" (leader of the land).

After weeks of treatment for kidney complications and a stroke, the 81-year-old veteran died at 08:56 a.m. on 4 August. Prime Minister Narendra Modi immediately travelled to the hospital and consoled Soren's family, calling him a grassroots leader "particularly passionate about empow ering tribal communities, the poor and downtrodden". President Droupadi Murmu, India's first tribal head of state, described his death as a "big loss in the space of social justice". The Jharkhand government declared three days of official mourning, flags were lowered and the state assembly adjourned as cries of "Shibu Soren amar rahe" echoed through the legislature. For many Jharkhandis, it felt as though a protective banyan tree had fallen.

EARLY LIFE AND RADICAL AWAKENING

Shibu Soren's life began in humble circumstances.