Ranchi: Senior Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader and Jharkhand minister Sudivya Kumar Sonu died of cardiac arrest at a Giridih hospital early Sunday. He was 56.
Kumar was rushed to a private hospital late Saturday after his health suddenly deteriorated. He died during treatment at around 4 am, party leaders said.
The Giridih MLA was serving as Minister for Higher and Technical Education and Urban Development, besides handling Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs.
The JMM expressed shock over his sudden demise, calling it an “irreparable loss” for the party, the government and Jharkhand. Chief Minister Hemant Soren also mourned his death, describing it as a deeply personal loss.
देर रात अपने बड़े भाई, हमारे प्रिय सुदिव्य कुमार सोनू जी के निधन का दुःखद समाचार मिला। इस खबर को स्वीकार कर पाना मेरे लिए बेहद कठिन है। सोनू भैया का जाना मेरे जीवन में ऐसी रिक्तता छोड़ गया है, जिसे शब्दों में व्यक्त करना संभव नहीं।
सोनू भैया मेरे लिए सिर्फ एक वरिष्ठ साथी या… pic.twitter.com/rXEyPBQULo
— Hemant Soren (@HemantSorenJMM) September 6, 2026
Elected from Giridih in 2019, Kumar was regarded as a close aide of Soren and a key JMM leader. He remained active during the political crisis surrounding Soren’s arrest in 2024 in a money-laundering case linked to an alleged land scam.
Returned from Karnataka Days Before Death
Kumar had returned only days earlier from Karnataka, where he led a Jharkhand government delegation to study tourism infrastructure and management. The team met Karnataka Tourism Minister K J George and explored cooperation in tourism and forest management, including a possible partnership with Jungle Lodges & Resorts.
Kumar is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son. His sudden death has plunged the JMM and the Jharkhand government into mourning.
