New Delhi, Aug 5 (IANS) RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav expressed deep sorrow and paid tribute to former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) founder Shibu Soren, who passed away on Monday morning in a Delhi hospital after a prolonged illness.

“Today, Shibu Soren passed away. He was a great leader of Dalits and Adivasis. It is a matter of deep sorrow, and we pay our heartfelt tribute to him,” said Lalu Yadav.

Shibu Soren, the towering tribal leader and father of current Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, breathed his last at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi at 8.56 a.m., according to a statement issued by the hospital.

“He died after a prolonged illness. He was suffering from a kidney ailment and had also suffered a stroke a month and a half ago. He had been on life support for the past month,” the hospital said.

Soren was under the care of Dr. A.K. Bhalla, Chairman of Nephrology, and a team from the neurology and ICU departments.

Born on January 11, 1944, in Nemra village, then in Bihar (now in Jharkhand), Shibu Soren belonged to the Santhal tribal community. A lifelong advocate for tribal rights, he began his activism at the age of 18 by founding the Santhal Navyuvak Sangh, which focused on land and tribal issues.

In 1972, he co-founded the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) along with A.K. Roy and Binod Bihari Mahato, leading the charge for a separate Jharkhand state and the empowerment of tribal communities.

He served as the General Secretary of the JMM and played a pivotal role in the movement that eventually led to the formation of Jharkhand in 2000.

Soren served as Chief Minister of Jharkhand three times. Though his tenures were short due to coalition complexities, his impact on state politics and tribal advocacy was long-lasting.

Known affectionately as “Dishom Guru”, Shibu Soren was revered in tribal regions for his commitment to justice and upliftment of marginalised communities.

His passing marks the end of an era in Jharkhand’s politics.

–IANS

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