Surendra Soren
Ranchi
Former Jharkhand minister and senior Congress leader Mannan Mallik passed away on Tuesday morning at the age of 83 while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Ranchi. He had been unwell for some time. His death has triggered an outpouring of grief across Jharkhand, particularly in Dhanbad and the state’s political and labour circles.
Soon after the news broke, several leaders, including Rural Development Minister Deepika Pandey Singh, former minister Rameshwar Oraon, former Central Minister Subodhkant Shahay and other Congress functionaries, visited the hospital to pay their respects, describing his demise as an irreparable loss to the state.
Mallik’s mortal remains were taken to the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly and later to the Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters before being shifted to his residence on Kanke Road, where political leaders and party workers paid floral tributes.
Mallik began his public life as the personal assistant to former Bihar Chief Minister Abdul Ghafoor before entering active politics. He later served for over a decade as President of the Dhanbad District Congress Committee, strengthening the party’s organisational base in the coal belt.
He was elected MLA from Dhanbad in the 2009 Assembly elections and subsequently served as Cabinet Minister for Animal Husbandry and Fisheries in the Hemant Soren-led government.
Widely regarded as a prominent labour leader, Mallik played a key role in the coal belt’s trade union movement. He served as Executive President of the Rashtriya Colliery Mazdoor Sangh (RCMS) and was closely associated with workers of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), leading several movements for miners’ welfare and labour rights.
Political leaders across party lines remembered him as a humble, accessible and committed public representative whose contribution to public life, Congress organisation and the labour movement will be remembered for years.
His last rites will be performed with full state honours at his native place.
