ROURKELA: Firebrand tribal leader and four-time former Birmitrapur MLA George Tirkey passed away at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar in the early hours of Saturday.
He was 67 and had been suffering from a prolonged illness. A long-time aide of the veteran leader, Jagdish Agarwal, said Tirkey was taken to Bhubaneswar from Birmitrapur four days ago after his condition deteriorated. He breathed his last at the hospital at about 1.45 am.
His son and incumbent Birmitrapur MLA of the BJD, Rohit Joseph Tirkey, and close family members were present with him.
“Tirkey was suffering from liver complications and his health condition kept on deteriorating to largely keep him confined to bed over the past several months,” Agarwal said.
Born in Jhunmur village under Birmitrapur police limits in Sundargarh, Tirkey began his career as a bank employee before joining politics. He won from the Birmitrapur Assembly constituency in 1995 on a JMM ticket, having previously retained the seat in 1990.
He later quit the JMM to join the BJD but was denied a ticket in 2004 due to the BJD-BJP alliance. Tirkey quit the BJD in January 2006 in protest against the killing of tribal agitators in police firing at Kalinganagar in Jajpur district and went on to win from Birmitrapur as an Independent MLA.
He also formed the Samta Kranti Dal (SKD) and became an MLA for the fourth time representing the SKD. After joining the Congress in 2018, he unsuccessfully contested from the Sundargarh Lok Sabha seat in 2019.
After suffering from Covid-19 twice, especially after he was sent to Assam to oversee the Congress’ organisation, his health condition reportedly worsened. He quit the Congress in March 2022 and helped his son Rohit’s victory in 2024 despite strong opposition from local BJD leaders.
Throughout his political career, Tirkey, a Catholic Christian, remained the tallest face of tribal protests, often taking the administration and police head-on.
Except for a brief period, he enjoyed unchallenged political clout in the Birmitrapur Assembly segment with a strong support base in other parts of the district.
A pall of gloom descended in the tribal-dominated Sundargarh district following his untimely demise. His mortal remains were taken to the Odisha Legislative Assembly premises before being transported to his native village, Jhunmur, for the final rites.