Ranchi: “Beloved Dishom Guruji has left us all. I lost everything today… ” A heartbroken Hemant Soren shared his grief in a social media post at 9.44 am Monday, unleashing a wave of mourning in Jharkhand.
But many even outside his state, who remember Shibu Soren’s long political innings, his intrepid fight for a separate state and the decades-long struggle for the rights of tribals, believe no one can replace ‘Dishom Guruji’ (a Santhali term meaning guru of the country), as he was fondly named for his leadership and pivotal role in the movement against the Mahajani system of money lenders and the broader movement for a separate Jharkhand.
Thrice chief minister of Jharkhand, Shibu Soren was a sitting Rajya Sabha MP at 81. Since he was admitted to Delhi’s Gangaram Hospital on 19 July, people from all sections of society had been praying for Shibu Soren’s recovery.
Desperate to get a glimpse of Guruji
His popularity was evident in June at the 13th general convention of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha in Ranchi. As soon as son and Chief Minister Hemant Soren reached the stage with Shibu Soren on a wheel chair, the eagerness to get a glimpse of Guruji was evident among the cadre and officials in attendance.
This convention was important in many ways for the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Hemant Soren and Shibu Soren after the party returned to power in the 2024 assembly elections. It was at this convention that Hemant Soren was declared the central president of the party, while Shibu Soren took on the mantle of founder-patron.
Addressing those at the convention, Hemant Soren said, “We have all reached here after a long journey. Shibu Soren-Ji never needed an introduction. Not only Jharkhand but the whole country knows him as Guruji. The public gave respect to Shibu Soren and made him ‘Guruji’. He also repaid the debt of that respect. He was always leading a struggle. He fought for the rights of the people of the state with limited resources. There are very few people who have so much love for the state in their hearts.”
Senior journalist and author of Dishom Guru Shibu Soren, Anuj Sinha says, “Jharkhand Mukti Morcha is in power. Hemant Soren has emerged as the most accepted leader in the state. Jharkhand has witnessed several reversals on the political map since the unification of Bihar. But nobody can replace Guruji. And there is no single reason or factor for this.”
“Shibu Soren tirelessly campaigned for a separate state for more than three decades. He abolished the money lending system. And most of all, he raised his voice by mobilising tribals for their rights and dignity. Of course, Guruji has faced many difficulties in the storms of time. But the fact is that anything said about him will always be less,” he said.
Formation of JMM and Shibu’s role
The idea of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha was conceived by MP A.K. Rai, former MP Binod Bihari Mahto and Shibu Soren. The three were said to be very close.
When the JMM was formed in 1973, Binod Bihari Mahto, the pioneer of the Jharkhand movement and the one who coined the slogan ‘Read and Fight’, become the president and Shibu Soren took on the role of general secretary. In 1987, Soren became the party president.
The formation of JMM was announced with a big show of strength at the golf ground in Dhanbad. Addressing the crowd on the occasion, Shibu Soren said emotionally, “I have been made the general secretary of JMM. I don’t know whether I deserve this or not, but I swear that I will continue to struggle for an exploitation-free Jharkhand.”
An incident prominently mentioned in another book by author Anuj Kumar Sinha, shows Shibu Soren’s popularity and influence even in 1973 during the Jharkhand Movement. In the tribal-dominated village of Gomia, a moneylender’s family had occupied land that belonged to the tribals. He also allegedly harassed the tribals.
The conflict continued until one day the moneylender’s henchmen allegedly fired at the tribals. The tribals hot back with arrows. The incident enraged Shibu Soren, who mobilised his workers and tribal supporters, who surrounded Giridih city with traditional weapons in support of the tribals.
On 18 June 2025, the Jharkhand Aandolankari Identification Commission released the 75th provisional list of agitators for Ramgarh district. It includes the name of Dishom Guru Shibu Soren as an important character in the fight for a separate state. The commission has states that during 1969-70 and even later, Shibu Soren led a strong mass movement against prohibition, moneylenders and eviction.
He weathered many storms
In his long battle for a separate state and the rights of tribals, Shibu Soren weathered many storms in his political life, including jail terms.
In 2004, he became the coal minister in the UPA government at the Centre. But he had to resign due to an arrest warrant related to the 1975 Chirudih case, where he allegedly instigated the crowds. He was sent to jail, but later acquitted. In 2006, he became a minister at the Centre again, and again handled the coal portfolio.
In between his two stints at the Centre, in 2005, he took oath as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, but had to resign within 12 days because he didn’t have the numbers.
Then in 2008, while holding the Chief Minister’s job, he lost the Tamar assembly elections to Independent candidate Raja Peter. As a result, he had to resign. But one year later he was back as chief Minister, this time with the support of BJP.
In forty years, Shibu Soren nurtured the organisation in Santhal Pargana and mobilised the tribals. In recent years, Hemant Soren has taken over the role, continuously strengthening his party. The proof of this was in the results of the 2024 assembly elections, where the JMM alliance won 17 out of the 18 seats in Santhal Pargana, while BJP won just one seat.
Shibu took over his father’s battles
Shibu Soren’s father was a teacher in Nemra village in Ramgarh district of Jharkhand. Sobaran Manjhi was a champion of tribals’ rights and fought many battles, speaking inconvenient truths. Allegedly, it was this activism that led to his murder. Undaunted by the tragedy, a young Shibu took up his father’s battles and began uniting tribals in Tundi in Dhanbad. He started the ‘Dhankatni’ movement against moneylenders. He set up an ‘ashram’ in Pokhariya. At night, he educated the exploited tribals. It was after this that he was named ‘Dishom Guru’.
His love for Dumka
Shibu Soren won eight Lok Sabha elections from Dumka, a politically significant seat in the Santhal Pargana region. It was in the 2024 LS polls that, for the first time, the 80-year-old Shibu Soren decided to sit out the elections due to his advanced age and health issues. But every JMM candidate had sought his blessings, including Nalin Soren, a senior leader, who went on to win from Dumka. Shibu Soren’s younger son Basant Soren won the assembly elections and is the sitting MLA from Dumka.
Remembered by close friends and political leaders
Dumka resident Digambar Marandi, a close friend of Shibu Soren in the seventies, says, “I have been so restless since I got the news of Guruji’s death. I have been calling up old friends and sharing our grief. Leave aside our old friends, even the forests, mountains, rivers and streams are sad. There is no question—no one can take Guruji’s place. I have been searching for old photographs in my box. I am also collecting material to write a book on Guruji.”
Digambar Marandi adds, “Guruji should have lived for at least another 15 years. He gave courage to the tribals. He was their voice. Guruji’s body should be brought to Dumka for darshan. If possible, please convey this message of mine to Hemant Babu.”
Journalist Suman Singh, who has been covering Dumka politics for a long time, says, this is what Shibu Soren has earned, something not easy for every politician. “Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s foundation day is celebrated every year on 3 February in Dumka and goes on till very late in the night. But no one used to leave, they stayed back to hear Shibu Soren’s speech,” he said.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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