Shibu Soren dies at 81: MP, former CM, Dishom Guru, and father of modern Jharkhand

Shibu Soren—veteran tribal leader, former Union Minister, and three-time Chief Minister of Jharkhand—died today at 81. Revered as “Dishom Guru” by millions and feared by his opponents, Soren leaves behind a legacy that reshaped tribal politics and redefined power in Jharkhand.

A Rajya Sabha MP until his death, Soren had been under treatment at Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital for over a month. His son, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, confirmed the news on X: “Beloved Dishom Guruji has left us. I lost everything today.”

Over four decades in public life, Shibu Soren was elected to the Lok Sabha eight times, led movements that shook Bihar’s political establishment, and survived legal battles that would have destroyed most careers.

Born in 1944 in Nemra village, Soren’s political awakening began after his father—a schoolteacher—was murdered by moneylenders. The trauma forced him to abandon studies after Class 10. His mother sold her jewellery to educate her children. At 18, Soren founded the Santhal Navyuvak Sangh to mobilize tribal youth—a precursor to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), the party he co-founded to fight for tribal autonomy.

In the late 1960s, Soren allegedly ran a "parallel government" in parts of Santhal Pargana, holding summary courts and resolving land disputes. His authority among the tribals was so deep that he was considered divine in some circles.

But his journey was marked by drama, evasion, and defiance. During the Emergency, Soren went underground, operating from a forest ashram. Later, jailed under various charges, he famously organized the Chhath festival for inmates. He was disqualified from the Rajya Sabha in 2002 for holding an "office of profit" and spent years fighting cases like the 1975 Chirudih massacre and the 1994 murder of his secretary—before ultimately being acquitted.

Personally, Soren lived simply. He didn’t drink or smoke, preferred home-cooked chapatis and green vegetables, loved sattu and tea, and often cooked for himself. He played the nagada and dugdugi, spoke Hindi, Bengali, Santali, Oriya, and Maithili, and maintained a home garden and interest in archery.

His iron-fisted image was legendary. Even family members like Hemant admitted to avoiding him at home due to his strictness. Politically, he stood fiercely by allies like Lalu Prasad Yadav, even at personal cost.