Admin
10 August 2024
On the day of his 47th birthday, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren marked his birthday on Saturday by sharing a symbolic image of a prisoner's stamp on his hand.
Also Soren carried another sign of his almost five -month imprisonment.During his 150 days of his stay inside the high walls, he, who never left a day without shaving his beard,grew facial hair rather than using razors in prison.
Soren’s birth day also marked the concluding day of the Jharkhand Adivasi Mahotsav 2024.
The Mahotsav, designed and directed by Soren and organised by the state government on the occasion of the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples 2024, was participated by scores of Adivasis from across the state inside Birsa Munda Museum Garden premise in Ranchi on August 9-10.
Looking much like his father Shibu Soren, MP, who carried facial hair in the form of a blown up beard, and expressing his view point in traditional attire of Kurta- paizama, Hemant Soren described the stamp of his imprisonment as ‘a representation of the current challenges facing democracy in India.’
With an aim to gain emotional mileage through social media post, Soren has explained that this stamp was placed on his hand by jail authorities when he was released from Birsa Munda Jail in Ranchi on June 28.
Notably, Hemant Soren was granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court in a money laundering case linked to a land scam.
"Today, on the occasion of my birthday, the memory of the past year is imprinted in my heart—that is the prisoner's stamp—put on my hand when I was released from jail. “This mark is not just mine but a symbol of the current challenges of our democracy," Soren wrote.
Soren, who also serves as the executive president of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on January 31, moments after resigning as chief minister. Reflecting on his 150-day imprisonment, Soren pointed out the broader implications for democracy.
"When an elected chief minister can be put in jail for 150 days without any proof, complaint, or crime, then what will they do with common tribals, Dalits, and oppressed people—I don't need to say this," he stated. Despite the challenges, Soren expressed confidence that unity and diversity are the country's greatest strengths.
"Together, we can overcome these challenges because our country's unity and diversity is our strength," he concluded.
