Former CM Shibu Soren to Be Honoured with Padma Bhushan Posthumously; Hemant Soren to Receive Award in Delhi

Ranchi: Tribal leader and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren, popularly revered as “Dishom Guru,” will be conferred the Padma Bhushan posthumously at a ceremony in New Delhi on June 23.

President Droupadi Murmu will present the Padma Awards for 2026 at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-II at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on June 23, with Soren among 65 awardees at the event. Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other dignitaries are expected to attend the ceremony, which will begin at 5 p.m.

In total, the President will confer 65 Padma Awards in this ceremony, comprising two Padma Vibhushan, seven Padma Bhushan and 56 Padma Shri honours.

Since Soren passed away in 2025, his son and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren will receive the award on his behalf, as confirmed by regional reports ahead of the ceremony.

The Union Government announced the honour as part of the Padma Awards 2026, recognising Soren’s contribution to public service and the tribal rights movement. Soren, who passed away in 2025 at the age of 81, is regarded as one of the principal architects of Jharkhand’s statehood and a towering figure in Adivasi politics.

Born in 1944 in Nemra village of Ramgarh district, Soren entered public life after his father was killed in a land dispute when he was just 13. He went on to mobilise villagers against exploitation by moneylenders and landlords, laying the foundation for a mass movement in the Santhal region, and in the early 1970s co-founded the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), which became the political backbone of the movement for a separate state.

Soren served three terms as Chief Minister of Jharkhand: in 2005, 2008–09, and 2009–10 and was a longtime president of the JMM. He was elected to the Lok Sabha multiple times beginning in 1980 and also served terms in the Rajya Sabha, including a second term beginning in 2020. He died at the age of 81 on August 4, 2025, while still in office, after being treated for various ailments at a Delhi hospital.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren expressed his gratitude to the Centre for posthumously honouring his late father with the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award. At the same time, the ruling JMM has continued to press for the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, for the tribal leader.