Jharkhand Higher and Technical Education and Urban Development Minister Sudivya Kumar died on Sunday morning after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was 56.
A senior leader of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Kumar had also held key portfolios, including Tourism, Arts and Culture, and Sports and Youth Affairs.
According to reports, Kumar was rushed to a private hospital in Giridih on Saturday night after complaining of discomfort at his residence. He died while undergoing treatment.
“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 post on X.
The JMM described his death as an “irreparable loss” to the party, the government and the state. It expressed condolences to Kumar’s family and prayed for peace for the departed soul.
Kumar’s last ministerial assignment was a visit to Karnataka, where he led a Jharkhand government delegation to explore ways to strengthen tourism infrastructure and management in the state.
During the visit, he met Karnataka Tourism Minister K J George and discussed avenues for cooperation between the two states in tourism and forest management.
A legislator from Giridih, Kumar was first elected to the Jharkhand Assembly from the constituency in 2019.
He was considered a close aide of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and played a key role in managing crises within the JMM, particularly during Soren’s arrest in 2024 in connection with an alleged land fraud and money-laundering case.
Kumar is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.
(With inputs from PTI)
