Shibu Soren, Jharkhand’s Tribal Icon, Leaves a Lasting Legacy

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To assert the legacy of Shibu Soren, Hemant Soren grew beard to resemble his father after his arrest ahead of Assembly elections

By TRH State Desk

Ranchi, August 4, 2025 — Shibu Soren, the towering tribal leader, founding president of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), and a three-time Chief Minister of Jharkhand, passed away on Sunday at the age of 81. Known as “Guruji” by his followers, Soren leaves behind a legacy interwoven with the struggle for tribal rights, the creation of Jharkhand state, and decades of grassroots activism.

“The leader of the tribals, Dishom Guru, is no more with us,” Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren told reporters in Ranchi on Monday. Earlier, he broke the news, saying that “respected Dishom Guruji left us behind. I am now a vacuum.”

Shibu Soren was battling kidney-related ailments for months. “He fought till his last breath,” added his son Hemant Soren.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid rich tributes to the tribal icon, saying: “Shibu Soren was a grassroots leader who rose through the ranks of public life with unwavering dedication to the people. He was particularly passionate about empowering tribal communities, the poor and downtrodden.”

President Droupadi Murmu hailed the legacy of Shibu Soren. “He championed the cause of tribal identity and formation of the state of Jharkhand. Besides his work at the grassroots, he also contributed as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, as a Union Minister and as a Member of Parliament. His emphasis on the welfare of the people, especially the tribal communities, will always be remembered,” said President Murmu.

Born on January 11, 1944, in Nemra village of present-day Ramgarh district, Soren emerged from the soil of Santhal Parganas. He rose to become one of India’s most significant tribal voices. His life was shaped by personal tragedy. His father was allegedly killed by moneylenders when Shibu Soren was a child.

In 1972, he founded the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha to spearhead the movement for a separate state of Jharkhand. Within three decades, Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar.

Political observers in Ranchi remembered Shibu Soren’s footprints among tribal communities across the Chotanagpur and Santhal regions.

His legacy continues to power the politics of his party with an unchallenged electoral domination in the Santhal and Chotanagpur regions of Jharkhand.

But controversy also accompanied Shibu Soren, as he was mired in the cash for vote scandal when PV Narsimha Rao as Prime Minister of India faced trust vote in the Lok Sabha.

Shibu Soren also presided over years of political instability in Jharkhand. He never completed a full term in the office. He had briefly also been a Union Minister. While his son leads the state after winning second consecutive mandate in Jharkhand, he also has never completed a full term in the office yet. Both father and son had been mired in alleged corruption cases.

Shibu Soren served thrice as Chief Minister—in 2005, briefly in 2008, and from 2009 to 2010. Shibu Soren was briefly hailed also, while he also faced allegations linked to a 1994 murder case, in which he was later acquitted.

To assert the legacy of Shibu Soren, Hemant Soren grew beard to resemble his father after he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged office for profit case involving allocation of a coal mine while he held the department.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called Shibu Soren “a voice of resistance and justice for the marginalised.”

As Guruji departs, he leaves behind a state that is still grappling with the very issues he spent a lifetime fighting for: land, identity, and dignity.

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