Jharkhand Cabinet Minister Sudivya Kumar Sonu died of cardiac arrest in the early hours of 6 September 2026 at Mercy Hospital in Giridih. He was 56 and is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son. A two-term MLA from Giridih and senior leader of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), he held the portfolios of Higher and Technical Education, Urban Development and Housing, Tourism, Art and Culture, and Sports and Youth Affairs.
What Happened on the Night of 5 September
Sonu had spent 5 September 2026 in Giridih and attended a Teachers Day programme earlier in the day. After dinner at his residence, he went to sleep and later complained of severe chest pain and uneasiness. Family members rushed him to Mercy Hospital in Giridih, where he reached at around 2.15 am on 6 September after nearly two hours of discomfort.
Doctors found signs of a heart attack on his ECG. His blood pressure could not be recorded, and vomit had entered his lungs before admission, which blocked his airway. The medical team cleared the airway, placed him on ventilator support and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), a life saving procedure used to restart the heart and restore breathing. Despite these efforts, he suffered a cardiac collapse within 10 to 15 minutes and was declared dead at around 4 am. Doctors also noted that he had a history of high blood pressure and diabetes.
A Three-Decade Journey in the JMM
Sudivya Kumar, popularly known as Sonu, was born on 26 July 1970 in Giridih, Jharkhand. He was associated with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) since the late 1980s and 1990s, a period when the party was leading the movement for a separate Jharkhand state. The JMM was formed in 1973 by tribal leader Shibu Soren, along with Binod Bihari Mahato and A. K. Roy, to fight for tribal rights and statehood. Jharkhand was finally carved out of Bihar on 15 November 2000, with Ranchi as its capital.
Sonu rose slowly through the party ranks and lost three elections before his first win. He was elected for the first time to the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly from the Giridih Assembly constituency in December 2019, defeating sitting MLA Nirbhay Kumar Shahabadi. He retained the seat in the 2024 Assembly elections, in which the JMM led alliance won 56 of the 81 seats and returned to power. He was known inside the Assembly for detailed, data based speeches and for advising Chief Minister Hemant Soren during the period when Soren was Leader of the Opposition from 2014 to 2019.
Party leaders also credit him with steadying the JMM during the political crisis in early 2024, when Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with an alleged land fraud and money laundering case. During that phase, Sonu helped manage party affairs and supported the political debut of Kalpana Soren, the wife of Hemant Soren and now the MLA from Gandey.
Portfolios He Held and Final Public Work
Sonu joined the Hemant Soren Cabinet on 5 December 2024 and handled five departments together. This wide charge covered cities, colleges, tourism, culture and sport, which made him one of the most visible ministers in the government.
| Department | Area of Work |
|---|---|
| Higher and Technical Education | Colleges, universities, technical institutes and examinations conducted by bodies like JPSC and JSSC |
| Urban Development and Housing | City infrastructure, municipal services and housing in urban areas |
| Tourism | Development of tourist sites and visitor facilities across Jharkhand |
| Art and Culture | Protection of tribal art, language, heritage and cultural events |
| Sports and Youth Affairs | Sports training, stadiums and youth programmes |
In his final days, he was actively pushing tourism partnerships. On 3 September 2026, he led a Jharkhand delegation to Karnataka, met Tourism Minister K. J. George and studied the forest and tourism model run by Jungle Lodges and Resorts. The team discussed using that model as a knowledge partner to manage Jharkhand resorts and tourist assets. He had also acted as a bridge between the government and students during recent protests in Ranchi over alleged irregularities in examinations held by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).
Condolences and Two-Day State Mourning
Chief Minister Hemant Soren described the death as a personal loss and called Sonu an elder brother who stood by him in every difficult phase. He recalled Sonu’s role from the days of the Jharkhand movement alongside JMM founder Shibu Soren, who is fondly called Dishom Guru and who passed away in August 2025. Governor Santosh Gangwar, Leader of the Opposition Babulal Marandi, Transport Minister Deepak Birua and Health Minister Irfan Ansari also expressed grief and called it an irreparable loss for the state.
The Jharkhand government declared two-day state mourning on 6 and 7 September 2026. During this period, the national flag flew at half mast on all government buildings, no official functions were held and all government offices remained closed on 7 September. His last rites were held at 3.30 pm on 6 September at the Usri River Harsinghraydih cremation ground in Giridih district.
Key Takeaways
- Sudivya Kumar Sonu, Jharkhand minister for Higher and Technical Education and Urban Development, died of cardiac arrest on 6 September 2026 at the age of 56.
- He was a two-term Giridih MLA, first elected in 2019 and re-elected in 2024, and joined the Hemant Soren Cabinet on 5 December 2024.
- He was born on 26 July 1970 in Giridih and was linked with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, founded in 1973 by Shibu Soren.
- He also held Tourism, Art and Culture, and Sports and Youth Affairs, and visited Karnataka on 3 September 2026 to study its tourism model.
- Jharkhand observed two-day state mourning on 6 and 7 September 2026, with government offices closed on 7 September.
