Jharkhand ex-CM’s grandson dies under suspicious circumstances in Manali

In a tragic and deeply unsettling incident, 22-year-old Veer Soren, grandson of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren, died under mysterious circumstances in Manali on Tuesday.

Veer, the son of Babu Lal Soren, had travelled to the popular Himalayan getaway on February 22 with friends for a brief vacation. The group was staying at a homestay in the Simsa area. Among those accompanying him was Agnya Verma, a resident of Uttar Pradesh. Over the weekend, they explored some of the region’s best-known high-altitude destinations, including Solang Valley and Sethan village, both frequented by tourists seeking snow and mountain views.

According to police accounts, the incident began unfolding around 12.30 pm on Tuesday when Veer returned from a short walk near the homestay and complained of an intense headache. His friends arranged medication through a quick-delivery service, which he consumed before lying down to rest. What seemed like a routine health complaint soon spiralled into a medical emergency.

At approximately 2.30 pm, a loud thud from his room alarmed his companions. They found him lying on the floor after apparently falling from the bed. As they rushed him to the Civil Hospital in Manali, his condition deteriorated rapidly; he reportedly began frothing at the mouth. Doctors attempted prolonged CPR on arrival, but their efforts proved unsuccessful, and Veer was declared dead shortly thereafter.

Authorities initially initiated standard medico-legal procedures and preserved the body in the mortuary, stating that a post-mortem examination would be conducted after the arrival of family members, as there were no visible external injury marks.

However, later in the day, Veer Soren’s grandfather, former Chief Minister Champai Soren, arrived in Manali in a chartered helicopter. He declined the post-mortem examination and expressed his wish to take his grandson’s body back home. Following the completion of necessary formalities, family members departed with the body in the same chartered helicopter in the afternoon.

While the exact cause of death remains undetermined, preliminary speculation had pointed to possible complications related to high-altitude exposure. Areas such as Sethan, located near the Hamta Pass, are known for lower oxygen levels that can, in rare cases, trigger acute conditions like cerebral or pulmonary edema, even among young and otherwise healthy individuals.

The sudden demise has sent shockwaves through political circles and the Soren family in Jharkhand, with questions likely to persist in the absence of an autopsy to conclusively establish the cause of death.