Jharkhand’s Minister for Education Jagarnath Mahato, who was admitted to MGM Healthcare on March 14, died during the early hours of Thursday.
The 56-year-old leader was representing Dumri Assembly seat in Giridih and survived by a son and four daughters. Chief Minister Hemant Soren declared two-day mourning in the State and also cancelled the cabinet meeting scheduled this evening.
A health bulletin issued by the hospital said Mr. Mahato underwent a bilateral lung transplant at the hospital in November 2020, for respiratory failure, following severe COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome. He resumed his official duties as the Education Minister and was on regular medical follow-ups. However, he was once again admitted to the hospital on March 14 as his health deteriorated. He suffered a cardiac arrest on Wednesday, and was resuscitated on ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation).
Mr. Soren wrote on Twitter: “Irreparable loss. Our tiger Jagarnath Da is no more. Today Jharkhand has lost one of its great agitators, dedicated, hardworking and popular leader. Respected Jagarnath Mahto ji passed away during treatment in Chennai. May god give peace to the departed soul and give strength to his family members at such a hard time,” Mr.Soren tweeted.
Leaders condole Mahato’s demise
Tamil Nadu Health Minister and DMK leader Ma. Subramanian visited MGM Health Care to pay floral tribute to Mr. Mahto. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin too condoled the demise of Mr. Mahto.
Leaders of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) paid floral tribute on his photograph at Giridih party office.
Mr. Mahto represented Dumri assembly constituency four times. It was once the den of Naxalites and bringing any development there was nearly impossible. The credit for doing a lot of developmental work in the Giridih goes to Mr. Mahto who was popularly known as Tiger in Jharkhand.
Jharkhand Congress in-charge Abinash Pandey expressed his grief over the sad demise of Mr. Mahto. “He was a very simple and helpful person. Whenever I met, I realised that he was a really helpful person. I had this information that he was not keeping well for the past many days but never imagined that he would leave us so early. On behalf of the All-India Congress Committee (AICC), we are all with the family members of Mahto ji and will pray for the department’s soul,” Mr. Pandey said in Palamu.
Former union minister and Congress leader Subodh Kant Sahay also expressed deep sorrow over his death saying that he was always on front to help the people of Jharkhand on any issue.
Former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Babulal Marandi also condoled the death of the JMM leader. In his tweet Mr. Marandi wrote that despite the political differences, he always admired Mr. Mahato’s strength and he fought like a warrior to defeat the disease for a long time.
