Shibu Soren

Shibu Soren
ᱥᱤᱵᱩ ᱥᱚᱨᱮᱱ
Soren in 2006
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
In office
22 June 2020 – 4 August 2025
Preceded byPrem Chand Gupta
ConstituencyJharkhand
In office
10 April 2002 – 2 June 2002
ConstituencyJharkhand
In office
8 July 1998 – 18 July 2001
ConstituencyJharkhand
3rd Chief Minister of Jharkhand
In office
30 December 2009 – 31 May 2010
Governor
Preceded byPresident's rule
Succeeded byPresident's rule
In office
27 August 2008 – 18 January 2009
GovernorSyed Sibtey Razi
Preceded byMadhu Koda
Succeeded byPresident's rule
In office
2 March 2005 – 12 March 2005
GovernorSyed Sibtey Razi
Preceded byArjun Munda
Succeeded byArjun Munda
Union Minister of Coal
In office
29 January 2006 – 28 November 2006
Prime MinisterManmohan Singh
Preceded byManmohan Singh
Succeeded byManmohan Singh
In office
27 November 2004 – 2 March 2005
Prime MinisterManmohan Singh
Preceded byManmohan Singh
Succeeded byManmohan Singh
In office
23 May 2004 – 24 July 2004
Prime MinisterManmohan Singh
Preceded byMamata Banerjee
Succeeded byManmohan Singh
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office
2002–2019
Preceded byBabulal Marandi
Succeeded bySunil Soren
ConstituencyDumka, Jharkhand
In office
1989–1998
Preceded byPrithvi Chand Kisku
Succeeded byBabulal Marandi
ConstituencyDumka, Jharkhand
In office
1980–1984
Preceded byBabulal Marandi
Succeeded byPrithvi Chand Kisku
ConstituencyDumka, Jharkhand
President of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha
In office
1987 – 15 April 2025
Preceded byBinod Bihari Mahato
Succeeded byHemant Soren
Personal details
Born(1944-01-11)11 January 1944
Nemra, Bihar Province, British India (present-day Jharkhand, India)
Died4 August 2025(2025-08-04) (aged 81)
Delhi, India
PartyJharkhand Mukti Morcha
Spouse
Roopi Soren
​
(m. 1962)​
Children
Occupation
  • Agriculturist
  • politician
Nickname"Dishom Guru"[1]
As of 25 September, 2006
Source: [1]

Shibu Soren (Hindi pronunciation: [ʃɪbuː soːɾeːn̪]; 11 January 1944 – 4 August 2025), popularly known as the Dishom Guru, was an Indian social reformer and politician who was a founder and longtime president of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).[2] He played a crucial role in the formation of the separate state of Jharkhand from Bihar[3] and later served as the 3rd Chief Minister of Jharkhand, first for 10 days in March 2005, then from 2008 to 2009, and again from 2009 to 2010.

Soren was a Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Dumka from 1980 to 1984, 1989 to 1998, and 2002 to 2019. He was also a member of the Rajya Sabha, representing Jharkhand from 2020 until his death in 2025. He also served as the Minister for Coal in the Union Cabinet three times: in 2004, from 2004 to 2005, and in 2006. However, he was convicted by a Delhi district court of his involvement in the 1994 murder of his private secretary, Shashi Nath Jha.[4] He had also been indicted in the past on other criminal charges.

Political career

Soren entered activism following the murder of his father, Shobaran Soren, on 27 November 1957. His father was a teacher and tribal activist who worked on tribal land rights issues.[5] At the age of eighteen, Soren founded the Santhal Navyuvak Sangh.[6] In 1972, Bengali Marxist trade union leader A. K. Roy, Kurmi-Mahato leader Binod Bihari Mahato and Santal leader Shibu Soren formed Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. Soren became the general secretary of JMM. JMM organised agitations to reclaim the tribal lands which were alienated. They started forcibly harvesting in the lands. Shibu Soren was known for delivering summary justice against landlords and money lenders, sometimes by holding own courts.[7] On 23 January 1975, he allegedly incited a campaign to drive away "outsiders", or the 'non-tribal' people. At least eleven people were killed. Soren and numerous others were charged with various crimes related to this incident. After extended legal proceedings, Soren was acquitted on 6 March 2008.[8] However, possibly related incitement charges—dating from two earlier deaths in 1974—remain pending.[9][10]

He entered to electoral politics as an Independent candidate to the Bihar assembly elections in 1977 but lost to Janata Party candidate. Then, he was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1980 from Dumka. An arrest warrant was issued against him. He was subsequently elected to the Lok Sabha in 1989, 1991 and 1996 as well.

In 2002, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha. He won the Dumka Lok Sabha seat in a by-election the same year and resigned his Rajya Sabha seat. He was re-elected in 2004.

He became the Union Coal Minister in the Manmohan Singh government, but was asked to resign following an arrest warrant in his name in the thirty-year-old Chirudih case. He was one of the main accused amongst 69, with allegations to kill 10 people (including 9 Muslims) on 23 January 1975, in a clash between tribals and Muslims.[11] After the warrant was issued, he initially went underground. He resigned on 24 July 2004. He was able to secure bail after spending over a month in judicial custody; released on bail on 8 September, he was re-inducted into the Union Cabinet and given back the coal ministry on 27 November 2004, as part of a deal for a Congress-JMM alliance before assembly elections in Jharkhand in February/March 2005.[12]

Chief Minister of Jharkhand (2005–2010)

On 2 March 2005, after much political bargaining and quid pro quo he was invited to form the government in Jharkhand by the Governor of Jharkhand. He resigned as Chief Minister nine days later, on 11 March, following his failure to obtain a vote of confidence in the assembly.

Later career

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he lost to Sunil Soren of the BJP from Dumka constituency.[13] He didn't contest 2024 Indian Lok Sabha elections.

Electoral history

Lok Sabha

Year Constituency Party Votes % Opponent Opponent Party Opponent Votes % Result Margin % Ref
2019 Dumka JMM 437,333 42.63 Sunil Soren BJP 484,923 47.26 Lost -47,590 -4.63 [14]
2014 335,815 37.19 296,785 32.86 Won 39,030 4.33 [14]
2009 208,518 33.52 189,706 30.5 Won 18,812 3.02
2004 339,542 33.52 Sonelal Hembrom 224,527 30.5 Won 115,015 3.02
1998 264,778 44.88 Babulal Marandi 277,334 47.01 Lost -12,556 -2.13
1996 165,411 31.94 159,933 30.89 Won 5,478 1.05
1991 260,169 58.28 126,528 28.34 Won 133,641 29.94
1989 247,502 60.97 Prithvi Chand Kisku INC 137,901 33.97 Won 109,601 27
1984 102,535 27.67 199,722 53.89 Lost -97,187 -26.22
1980 IND 112,160 37.55 INC(I) 108,647 36.37 Won 3,513 1.18

Assembly

Year Constituency Party Votes % Opponent Opponent Party Opponent Votes % Result Margin %
2009
By-election (June) 		Jamtara JMM 42,668 35.64% Tarun Kumar Gupta BJP 25,036 20.91% Won 17,632 14.73%
2009
By-election (January) 		Tamar 25,154 - Gopal Krishna Patar JKP 25,154 - Lost 9,062 -
1985 Jama 34,828 66.2% Prome Murmu INC 16,484 31.33 Won 18,344 34.87
1977 Tundi IND 7,523 19.51 Satya Narayan Dudani JP 16,055 41.64 Lost -8,532 22.13

Life imprisonment and acquittal

On 28 November 2006, Soren was found guilty in a twelve-year-old case involving the kidnapping and murder of his former personal secretary Shashinath Jha. It was claimed that Jha was abducted from the Dhaula Kuan area in Delhi on 22 May 1994 and taken to Piska Nagari near Ranchi where he was killed. The CBI chargesheet stated that Jha's knowledge of the reported deal between the Congress and the JMM to save the Narasimha Rao government during the July 1993 no-confidence motion and an act of sodomy was the motive behind the murder. The charge-sheet asserted that: "Jha was aware of the illegal transactions and also expected and demanded a substantial share out of this amount from Soren."[15]

Soren resigned from his post of Union Minister for Coal after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanded that he should do so in the wake of the verdict. This is the first case of a Union Minister of the Government of India being found guilty of involvement in a murder. On 5 December 2006, Shibu Soren was sentenced to life imprisonment. A Delhi court rejected his bail plea, stating: 'We cannot overlook the fact that the appellant (Soren) has been convicted after a detailed and elaborate trial only in November 2006 and sentenced in December 2006.[16]

The bench also noted that he was also being tried in a number of other cases, including the case of mass murder in Jharkhand.[17]

On 25 June 2007, Shibu Soren was being escorted to his jail in Dumka, Jharkhand when his convoy was attacked by bombs,[18] but no one was hurt.[19]

The Delhi High Court on 23 August 2007 overruled the District Court and acquitted Soren, stating that "The trial court's analysis is far from convincing and not sustainable."[20]

The five men convicted by the Tis Hazari court were held guilty of criminal conspiracy, abduction and murder primarily on the basis of forensic evidence provided by a post-mortem report of a body discovered in Jharkhand, namely a skull superimposition test and skull injury report. This was in addition to eyewitness accounts and some circumstantial evidence.[21]

Personal life

Soren was born on 11 January 1944 into a Santal family to Shobaran Soren and Sonamuni Soren in Nemra village of Ramgarh district, then part of Bihar Province in British India. Shibu Soren was elder among his four brothers namely 1.Raja Ram Soren 2.Shankar Soren 3. Lalu Soren and youngest 4.Ramu Soren.He completed his matriculation at Gola High School.[22] He completed his schooling in the same district.[23]

Soren was married to Roopi Kisku in 1962. He had three sons Durga Soren, Hemant Soren, and Basant Soren and a daughter, Anjali Soren. His son, Hemant Soren is the Chief Minister of Jharkhand currently and was the CM previously from July 2013 to December 2014.[24] His elder son Durga Soren was MLA from Jama from 1995 to 2005.[25] Durga's wife, Sita Soren is former MLA from Jama, but is now in BJP.[26] Basant Soren is president of the Jharkhand Yuva Morcha, a youth wing of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and current MLA from Dumka.[27] [28]

Soren died at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi, on 4 August 2025, at the age of 81.[29][30] He had been admitted in late June 2025 for chronic kidney disease, and reportedly suffered a stroke during his treatment. After about a month on life support, he died with his family by his bedside.[31][32]

See also

References

  1. ^ Bose, Saikat Kumar (4 August 2025). "'Dishom Guru' Shibu Soren Dies At 81, Son Hemant Says "Lost Everything"". www.ndtv.com. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  2. ^ Bhelari, Amit (4 August 2025). "Shibu Soren: From a social reformer to an iconic tribal leader". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  3. ^
    • Bhelari, Amit (4 August 2025). "Shibu Soren: From a social reformer to an iconic tribal leader". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 October 2025. He played a crucial role in the creation of the separate state of Jharkhand, turning a long-standing dream into reality.
    • Pathak, Vikas (5 August 2025). "Pivotal figure in Jharkhand movement, Shibu Soren had a storied career with fleeting stints in power". The Indian Express. Retrieved 12 October 2025. He had only brief stints in office as Union minister and Chief Minister because of recurrent legal troubles and coalition frictions, but Shibu Soren the politician left an indelible mark on the politics of Jharkhand as a key figure of the decades-long statehood movement that ultimately led to the carving out of the state from Bihar in 2000.
    • D'Souza, Shanthie Mariet. "Shibu Soren". Encyclopedia Britannica. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) movement was formed in 1973 by Soren and others, with its main objective being the creation of a separate Jharkhand state out of the eastern and southern portions of the existing Bihar state. That goal was achieved in 2000. Soren successfully expanded the political base of the JMM by soliciting the support of industrial and mine workers and of the region's minority peoples. He became the president of the JMM in 1987.
  4. ^ PTI (28 November 2006). "Shibu Soren guilty in murder case, quits cabinet". rediff.com. Retrieved 12 May 2007.
  5. ^ "Sobaran Soren assassinated for agitation against moneylenders". The Times of India. 28 November 2021. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  6. ^ "Shibu Soren sworn in as Jharkhand Chief Minister". The Economic Times. 30 December 2009.
  7. ^ Tillin, Louise (October 2013). Remapping India: New States and their Political Origins. Hurst Publishers. ISBN 9781849042291.
  8. ^ Soren acquitted in Chirudih massacre case Archived 8 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine Thaindian News. 6 March 2008. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  9. ^ Verdict in murder case involving Soren 15 June Archived 8 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine Thaindian News. 3 June 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  10. ^ Verdict in murder case involving Soren on 15 June Hindustan Times 3 June 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  11. ^ "1975 Chirudih massacre: Past catches up with Shibu Soren, arrest warrant issued". m.indiatoday.in. 2 August 2004. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  12. ^ Soren back in Union Cabinet The Hindu. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 22 August 2007.
  13. ^ "Former Jharkhand CM Shibu Soren loses from Dumka". Deccan Chronicle. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  14. ^ a b "Dumka Constituency Lok Sabha Election Result: Candidates Profiles, Map, Total Votes, Past Results". The Times of India. 12 October 2025. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  15. ^ "Legal Solutions". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007.
  16. ^ "Shibu Soren Resigns". 24 July 2004. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  17. ^ "Shibu Soren's bail plea rejected". 14 March 2007. Retrieved 13 May 2007.
  18. ^ "Shibu Soren escapes bomb attack". India Abroad News Service IANS. 25 June 2007. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2007.
  19. ^ Abhinav Garg (29 May 2007). "HC slams CBI for failing to counter Soren challenge". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2007.
  20. ^ "HC acquits Soren, slams CBI for lapses - Times of India". The Times of India. 23 August 2007. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012.
  21. ^ Shibu Soren’s aquittal [sic] on expected lines Hindustan Times. 23 August 2007.
  22. ^ "Shibu Soren". britannica. 3 April 2024.
  23. ^ "Who was Shibu Soren? Rose through struggles to become Jharkhand's 'Dishom Guru'". Hindustan Times. 4 August 2025. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  24. ^ "Hemant Soren becomes Jharkhand CM, heads 9th government in 13 years - The Times of India". India Times. 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2013. JMM leader Hemant Soren, son of party chief Shibu Soren, was on Saturday sworn in as the new chief minister of Jharkhand
  25. ^ Bihar Assembly Election Results (Constituency Wise)
  26. ^ "Shibu SorenIndian politician".
  27. ^ Basant Soren chosen for Rajya Sabha, JMM too focusses on dynasty in Jharkhand
  28. ^ "Basant Soren(JMM):Constituency- DUMKA (ST) : BYE ELECTION ON 03-11-2020(DUMKA ) - Affidavit Information of Candidate".
  29. ^ "Shibu Soren: India tribal icon has died, aged 81". BBC News. 4 August 2025. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  30. ^ "Dishom Guru Shibu Soren is no more, died at the age of 81". Prabhat Khabar. 4 August 2025. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  31. ^ "Shibu Soren's cause of death: What we know about the passing of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren's father". The Economic Times. 4 August 2025. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  32. ^ Mishra, Pallav. "Full Hospital Statement On Ex-Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren's Death". www.ndtv.com. Archived from the original on 22 August 2025. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
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