Jharkhand education minister Jagarnath Mahto passes away, CM Hemant Soren expresses gratitude

Jharkhand education minister Jagarnath Mahto passed away on Thursday morning at the age of 56. He had been undergoing treatment at Chennai Hospital since March 14.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren confirmed the demise of the cabinet minister on Twitter and called his death an irreparable loss. He wrote, An irreparable damage! Our Tiger Jagarnath Da is no more! Today Jharkhand has lost one of its great agitators, combative, hardworking and popular leaders. Respected Jagarnath Mahato ji passed away during treatment in Chennai, he said.

Soren also paid tribute to the minister. He tweeted, May God give peace to the departed soul and give strength to the bereaved family to bear this difficult hour of grief.

Jagarnath Mahto, who represented the Dumri Vidhan Sabha constituency as a Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MLA, had not been keeping well since 2020. He had undergone lung transplant surgery after he had contracted Covid-19 and his health had not been stable since then.

According to the reports, Mahto complained of uneasiness during the state Budget Session. He was immediately rushed to the nearby Paras Hospital from the Assembly. However, doctors advised him of shifting to another hospital for better treatment.

Subsequently, he was flown to Chennai by a charter air ambulance but died today.

Jagarnath Mahto, a JMM MLA from Giridih, was actively involved in a separate statehood movement, led by Shibu Soren.