The legendary tribal leader and former Jharkhand chief minister Shibu Soren died in New Delhi at the age of 81 following a protracted fight with a kidney-related disease. A political chapter that reshaped the goals of India’s tribal people came to an end with his passing. Soren, who was born in 1944 in a small village close to Ramgarh, Jharkhand, grew up in the center of the Santhal Adivasi group and became a fervent supporter of tribal rights. The political movement that would eventually change the face of India was founded on his advocacy against land exploitation and alienation in the 1970s.
He helped form the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) in 1973, directing popular ire into a concerted effort to secure a separate state for tribal people. The creation of Jharkhand in 2000 marked the realization of that objective following decades of struggle. Soren maintained a significant involvement in both state and national politics during his several tenures as Chief Minister and his initial election to the Lok Sabha in 1980. Before handing the reins to his son, Hemant Soren, and taking on the role of “Founding Patron,” he served as the president of the JMM for almost forty years.
Shibu Soren, also referred to as “Dishom Guruji,” represented more than just electoral politics. He represented the tribal groups’ struggle for identity, land, and dignity in India. Tribal voices were brought to the fore, and their rights were guaranteed by policy thanks in large part to his leadership. He inspired a generation of young leaders from marginalized areas to believe in the potential of democratic change, and his influence went beyond politics.
