Honouring the death of senior JMM leader and minister Sudivya Kumar, the Jharkhand government has declared a two-day state mourning. The state government has also cancelled all its scheduled programmes during the period, officials said. Jharkhand government offices will remain closed on September 7, according to an official notice.
Jharkhand Higher Education and Urban Development Minister Sudivya Kumar Sonu died of a cardiac arrest on Sunday. He had complained of chest pain at his residence in Giridih late Saturday night and was subsequently rushed to a private hospital, where he died.
Expressing grief over his death, the JMM said in a post on X: “The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha family is stunned and heart-broken by the untimely demise of Sudivya Kumar, a dedicated comrade of JMM and a Minister in Jharkhand government.”
The 56-year-old Giridih MLA held key portfolios, including tourism, arts and culture, sports and youth affairs. Leaders across party lines condoled his death and remembered his contribution to Jharkhand politics.
Kumar was elected from the Giridih Assembly constituency in 2019 and is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son. He was a close aide of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and played a crucial role in steering the JMM through several political challenges, including the period following Soren’s arrest in a land fraud and money laundering case in 2024.