Nemra, August 7: Former Jharkhand Chief Minister and veteran tribal leader Shibu Soren was cremated on Wednesday at his native village Nemra in Ramgarh district, with thousands of mourners, political leaders, and supporters gathering to pay their final respects.
The 81-year-old Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) co-founder, affectionately known as Dishom Guru, died on Monday at Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, where he had been undergoing treatment for kidney-related complications.
His son and current Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren performed the last rites in accordance with tribal customs, as supporters raised slogans of “Guruji amar rahe” (Long live Guruji) while his body was carried through the streets of Ranchi and laid on a flower-decked charpoy at his ancestral home.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi were among several political leaders who travelled to Nemra to attend the funeral.
Earlier, Shibu Soren’s mortal remains were kept at the Jharkhand Assembly, where Governor Santosh Gangwar and Speaker Rabindranath Mahato paid tributes. Union Ministers Jual Oram, Annapurna Devi and Sanjay Seth, along with leaders across party lines, offered floral homage. Bihar MP Rajesh Ranjan, also known as Pappu Yadav, demanded that the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, be posthumously conferred upon the late leader in recognition of his contributions to tribal welfare.
In an emotional tribute shared on social media, Hemant Soren described his father as “a pillar of Jharkhand’s soul” and a guiding force in his life. “He was not just a father, but the forest-like shade that protected thousands of Jharkhandis from injustice,” Soren wrote.
Recalling his father’s humble beginnings and lifelong struggle against oppression, the chief minister said Soren’s identity was deeply rooted in the soil and spirit of Jharkhand. “He never saw power as an achievement. For him, Jharkhand was never a throne, but the identity of his people,” he said.
Shibu Soren played a crucial role in the movement for a separate Jharkhand state and served multiple terms as Chief Minister and Union Minister. His political journey, marked by grassroots activism and steadfast advocacy for tribal rights, earned him widespread respect across the country.
“Now you rest, Baba,” Hemant Soren wrote. “Jharkhand will remain indebted to you. I will carry forward your dreams. Your struggle will not remain incomplete.”
