The Rajya Sabha was adjourned until Tuesday as a mark of respect to veteran tribal leader and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) patriarch Shibu Soren, who passed away earlier on Monday after a prolonged illness. He was 80.

As the Upper House convened for the day, Deputy Chairman Harivansh solemnly announced the demise of one of India’s most iconic political figures. Reading out a moving obituary, he referred to Soren as “Dishom Guruji”, a title of immense reverence among tribal communities, and “Guruji”, the name by which he was fondly known throughout Jharkhand.

“Shibu Soren was not merely a parliamentarian,” Harivansh said. “He was a voice for the voiceless, a relentless advocate for the poor, the tribal and the marginalised.”

The Deputy Chairman recalled Soren’s lifelong struggle for the rights of tribal communities and his instrumental role in the formation of Jharkhand as a separate state in 2000. He said that Soren’s name would remain “etched in the annals of Indian Parliamentary history” for his unwavering dedication to public service.

Soren's illustrious parliamentary career spanned eight terms in the Lok Sabha and three terms in the Rajya Sabha, including his current tenure. Throughout his decades in public life, he was widely respected for raising tribal issues at the national level and ensuring that the grievances of the most disadvantaged sections of society were heard in Parliament.

In June 2025, the senior JMM leader was admitted to Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, suffering from kidney-related complications and the aftereffects of a stroke. Despite intensive medical treatment, his condition deteriorated, and he breathed his last on the morning of August 4 at 8:56 a.m.