Former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) संरक्षक Shibu Soren passed away on Monday, August 4th. He had been undergoing treatment at Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital for the past month and a half. Soren, who was 81 years old, breathed his last at the hospital. The news of his demise was shared by his son, Hemant Soren, the current Chief Minister of Jharkhand.
Soren’s mortal remains were transported from Delhi to Ranchi via a special aircraft. Hemant Soren and his MLA wife, Kalpana Soren, were also on board. Thousands of people, known as ‘Dishom Guru’, gathered outside Birsa Munda Airport and along the roads to pay their final respects to their beloved leader.
JMM workers and leaders chanted slogans of ‘Dishom Guru Amar Rahen’ (Long Live Dishom Guru). Thousands of people came to have a final glimpse of the leader. Soren’s mortal remains were taken from the airport to his residence in Morhabadi, where a large crowd had gathered.
The funeral will be held on Tuesday at his ancestral village, Nemra, in the Ramgarh district at 12 noon. It is reported that Shibu Soren’s younger son, Basant Soren, will perform the last rites.
Congress state president Kharge and Rahul Gandhi will also be visiting Ranchi to pay their respects to Shibu Soren. Leaders from various other parties are also expected to attend the funeral. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his respects to Shibu Soren at Gangaram Hospital in Delhi. President Droupadi Murmu also offered her condolences. In addition, Congress President Kharge, Misa Bharti, Manoj Jha, Rahul Gandhi, and several RJD leaders met with the family at the hospital.
The Jharkhand government has announced a three-day state mourning period in honor of Shibu Soren. He had been unwell for quite some time and was on life support for a month.