Ranchi, Sept 6 (PTI) Jharkhand Higher and Technical Education Minister Sudivya Kumar died of cardiac arrest early Sunday, officials said.
Kumar, 56, was admitted to a private hospital in his hometown Giridih around 2.30 am, and doctors declared him dead around 4 am, they said.
The JMM legislator also held portfolios of Urban Development, Tourism, Arts and Culture, and Sports and Youth Affairs. He is survived by his wife Shweta Sharma, two daughters and a son.
A close aide of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, he played a key role in managing several political crises for the JMM-led government, including last month’s students’ protests in Ranchi.
Soren, Assembly Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato, and Congress leader Rajesh Thakur were among the leaders who expressed grief over Kumar’s death.
“Sonu Bhaiya’s departure has left a void in my life that cannot be expressed in words,” the CM said in a social media post.
He said Kumar was not merely a senior colleague or political associate but someone who was like an “elder brother — affectionate, guiding, and steadfastly standing by my side in every difficult time”.
Recalling Kumar’s association with the Jharkhand movement, Soren said he had stood with “full devotion and strength” alongside late JMM founder Shibu Soren.
“As a dedicated soldier of the JMM, he devoted his entire life to the fight for Jharkhand’s identity, rights, and pride,” he said, adding that Kumar’s commitment to ‘Jharkhandiyat’ and his “indomitable spirit” would always be remembered.
The JMM described Kumar’s death as an “irreparable loss” to the party, the government and Jharkhand.
“The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha family is stunned and heartbroken by the untimely demise of Sudivya Kumar, a dedicated comrade of JMM and a Minister in the Jharkhand government,” the party said in a social media post.
Former Jharkhand Congress president Thakur said Kumar played an important role in maintaining the unity of the JMM-led coalition.
BJP leader and former chief minister Champai Soren said he was shocked and grieved by Kumar’s untimely demise.
Kumar was first elected to the Jharkhand assembly from Giridih in 2019.
He played a key role in managing the crisis following the chief minister’s arrest in 2024 in connection with an alleged land fraud and money laundering case.
He also played a leading role during the students’ agitation in the state last month, heading a panel that held several rounds of talks with the protesters.
He had returned this week from Karnataka, where he led a Jharkhand government delegation to explore ways to improve tourism infrastructure management in the state.
During the visit, he met Karnataka Tourism Minister K J George and discussed cooperation between the two states in tourism and forest management. PTI NAM GRS DV SOM
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