Jamshedpur: Surya Singh Besra, one of the founding figures of the Jharkhand state movement and a former MLA, has claimed that his life is under threat and that there may be a conspiracy to assassinate him.
In a press release, Besra said he has been advised to remain highly vigilant based on intelligence inputs and past political assassinations in Jharkhand. Besra, who is currently in Bhubaneswar, stated that during the funeral rites of his guru, Nayan Chand Hembram — former national president of Bharatiya Adim Jati Sevak Sangh and a prominent leader of Akhil Bharatiya Mahali Adivasi Samaj — he came in contact with several retired intelligence officials from Delhi, Odisha, and West Bengal. Hembram passed away on December 7, 2025, and his last rites were performed in Bhubaneswar on December 16 and 17, which Besra attended.
According to Besra, during conversations with these former intelligence personnel, disturbing information emerged indicating a potential threat to his life. He said he was specifically cautioned to be alert, citing his long-standing political opposition to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and his critical stance on the party’s policies.
Besra is the founder of the All Jharkhand Students Union and Jharkhand People’s Party, and under his leadership, the historic 72-hour Jharkhand bandh in 1989 forced the Union government, during the tenure of then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, to hold the first-ever talks on the formation of a separate Jharkhand state. He was elected MLA from Ghatshila in 1990 and resigned within a year in protest when the then Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav publicly opposed the creation of Jharkhand. Besra was also awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2017 for his Santali translations of Gitanjali and Madhushala.
Besra alleged that despite being provided security since 1990, his bodyguards were withdrawn without explanation. He said he repeatedly wrote to the Superintendent of Police of Jamshedpur, the Inspector General of Police, the Chief Minister, and the Home Secretary. In January 2025, the Home Secretary of Jharkhand issued a written order directing the Superintendent of Police, Jamshedpur, to provide him with a bodyguard. However, nearly a year later, the order has allegedly not been implemented.
Referring to past political killings, Besra cited the murder of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha central president Shaheed Nirmal Mahto in 1987 and the assassination of party MP Sunil Kumar Mahto in 2007, describing them as examples of political conspiracies in the state. He claimed that intelligence agencies have warned him that traveling without security poses a serious risk.
Besra stated that he feels unsafe without police protection and that the alleged threat should not be taken lightly. He is returning to Jamshedpur from Bhubaneswar on December 18 and is scheduled to meet the Superintendent of Police of Jamshedpur on December 19 to press for immediate security cover.
