Jharkhand: Sudivya Kumar Sonu cremated with full state honours; two-day mourning declared

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Ranchi, Sep 6 (IANS) The last rites of late Jharkhand Minister Sudivya Kumar Sonu were performed with full state honours in Giridih on Sunday.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren, along with ministers, several public representatives, and senior party leaders, paid their final respects to the late Jharkhand Minister.

Additionally, the state government has declared a two-day state mourning period on September 6 and 7, according to an official order issued by the Cabinet Secretariat and Monitoring Department on Sunday.

During the mourning period, the national flag will fly at half-mast on all state buildings where the national flag is regularly flown. No state functions will be held in the state during the mourning period.

The government has also decided that all state government offices will remain completely closed tomorrow (September 7). A government order to this effect has been sent to all senior administrative and police officials in the state and to the Union Home Ministry as well.

Sudivya Kumar Sonu, Minister of Urban Development and Housing, Higher and Technical Education, Tourism, Art, Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs Departments of the Jharkhand government, died on Sunday morning at Mercy Hospital in Giridih. He was 56 years old.

His health suddenly deteriorated late Saturday night. He was taken to Mercy Hospital, where he died during treatment. According to doctors, he died due to a heart attack.

The sudden demise of Sudivya Kumar Sonu has cast a pall of gloom over Jharkhand’s political circles. He was a second-consecutive MLA from the Giridih Sadar Assembly constituency. He won the Assembly elections for the first time in 2019 and was re-elected in 2024.

He was appointed a cabinet minister in the government formed under the leadership of Hemant Soren in December 2024. He held important portfolios such as Urban Development and Housing, Higher and Technical Education, Tourism, Art, Culture, Sports, and Youth Affairs. He was also the Central General Secretary of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.

A longtime party member, Sonu was considered a close and trusted political aide of Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

–IANS

sd/mr

Related Posts

5.0 magnitude quake hits Assam’s Morigaon, tremors felt in Guwahati

Guwahati, Feb 27 (IANS) An earthquake of magnitude five on the Richter scale jolted Assam’s Morigaon district in the early hours of Thursday, the National Center for Seismology (NCS) noted.

The tremors were felt in Guwahati and other parts of the state.

According to the quake monitoring agency, the earthquake occurred at a depth of 16 kilometre at around 2:25 a.m.

“EQ of M: 5.0, On: 27/02/2025 02:25:40 IST, Lat: 26.28 N, Long: 92.24 E, Depth: 16 Km, Location: Morigaon, Assam,” NCS posted on X.

Details regarding the epicentre and impact of the seismic activity were not immediately clear.

A magnitude 5 earthquake is considered a moderate one, with the potential to cause noticeable shaking of indoor items, rattling noises, and minor damage.

Earthquakes are quite common in Assam since the state sits in one of India’s most earthquake-prone zones. It falls under Seismic Zone V, which means it’s at high risk of strong tremors.

Over the years, the region has seen some massive quakes, like the 1950 Assam-Tibet earthquake (8.6 magnitude) and the 1897 Shillong earthquake (8.1 magnitude) — both among the strongest in history.

This comes days after a magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit the Bay of Bengal, with tremors felt in Kolkata and several parts of West Bengal. The NCS reported that the quake occurred at 6:10 a.m. on February 25.

An India Meteorological Department official told media that said the earthquake was recorded near Puri in Odisha. The quake occurred at a depth of 91 km in the Bay of Bengal, the official said.

The tremor was recorded at latitude 19.52 N and longitude 88.55 E, he added.

Though the earthquake tremors caused momentary panic among the residents of Kolkata, no immediate reports of damage or casualties have surfaced.

“EQ of M: 5.1, On: 25/02/2025 06:10:25 IST, Lat: 19.52 N, Long: 88.55 E, Depth: 91 Km, Location: Bay of Bengal,” the NCS posted on X.

‘Odisha will not lose territory under South Coast Railway plan’

Bhubaneswar, May 6 (IANS) The Indian Railways on Wednesday once again clarified that the creation of the South Coast Railway would not result in any loss to Odisha, terming reports suggesting otherwise as misleading and motivated.

In an official statement, authorities said the clarification was issued in response to widely circulated reports claiming that Odisha stood to lose significantly because of the formation of the new South Coast Railway zone.

The Railways dismissed such claims as factually incorrect and alleged that they were being spread by persons and groups with vested interests.

According to official information, the newly formed South Coast Railway’s Visakhapatnam Division includes a 53-km stretch from Palasa to Ichchapuram, comprising seven stations — Palasa, Sumadevi, Mandasa Road, Baruva, Sompeta, Jhadupudi and Ichchapuram — all located in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district.

The Railways said this clearly establishes that no part of Odisha is being transferred to Andhra Pradesh, making claims of territorial loss baseless.

Meanwhile, a total of 696 km of railway routes, including the Koraput-Singapur Road, Kothavalasa-Kirandul, Kuneru-Therubali and Gunupur-Paralakhemundi sections, will continue to remain under the newly formed Rayagada Division of the East Coast Railway.

The Railways reiterated that under no circumstances was any part of Odisha being brought under the administrative jurisdiction of Andhra Pradesh.

It also urged the public not to be misled by what it described as baseless and motivated misinformation.

Notably, the Centre recently issued a gazette notification establishing the South Coast Railway Zone with its headquarters in Visakhapatnam with effect from June 1, 2026.

The new zone will include divisions such as Guntakal, Guntur, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam after reorganisation of the South Central Railway (SCR) and East Coast Railway (ECoR), fulfilling a long-pending demand of Andhra Pradesh.

However, the move has triggered protests in Odisha, with the BJD, Congress, Left parties and several other opposition groups demanding an immediate rollback of the decision to transfer the Palasa-Ichchapuram section to the South Coast Railway (SCoR).

–IANS

gyan/pgh

India and Chile continue to work on deepening multifaceted relationship

New Delhi, Sep 18 (IANS) Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Secretary (West) Sibi George represented India at Chile’s National Day celebrations in New Delhi, reiterating commitment to a strong partnership between the two nations.

While sharing pictures of Chile’s National Day celebrations on X, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, “Secretary (West) Sibi George represented India at the National Day celebrations of Chile. He reiterated the commitment to strong India-Chile partnership, guided by the roadmap set during the recent meetings between PM Narendra Modi and President Gabriel Boric.”

Earlier in July, PM Modi met Chile President Gabriel Boric Font on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro. Sharing details about his meeting with the Chilean President, PM Modi mentioned the growing friendship between both nations.

“Delighted to have met President Gabriel Boric Font of Chile during the Rio BRICS Summit. India-Chile friendship is getting stronger and stronger!,” PM Modi posted on X.

In April, Font paid a State Visit to India accompanied by a high-level delegation, including ministers, Members of Parliament, senior officials, business associations, media and prominent Chileans involved in the India-Chile cultural connect.

During the visit, which commemorated the completion of 76 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, both leaders had discussed in detail the historic diplomatic ties that were established in 1949, growing trade linkages, people-to-people linkages, cultural ties and also the warm and cordial bilateral relations between both countries. They had expressed desire for further expanding and deepening of the multifaceted relationship between the two countries in all areas of mutual interests.

During the discussions, Prime Minister Modi appreciated the participation of Chile in all the three editions of the ‘Voice of Global South’ Summits, reflecting the commitment in bringing together countries of the Global South to share their development perspectives and priorities. PM Modi thanked President Boric for sharing his valuable perspectives and ideas at the 3rd Voice of Global South Summit held in August 2024 and noted that both countries have strong convergence on several contemporary global issues, including on the need for effective global governance reforms and equitable access for Global South countries to clean and green technologies. President Boric too had welcomed India’s leadership in strengthening engagements between countries of Global South.

–IANS

akl/as