Acharya Kishore Kunal, former IPS officer, dies of cardiac arrest in Patna, Nitish, Yogi express condolences

Acharya Kishore Kunal, a former IPS officer, died of cardiac arrest in Patna at 8 am on Sunday morning. He was 74. He suffered a cardiac arrest this morning and was immediately rushed to Mahavir Vatsala Hospital, where he passed away.  He was taken to Mahavir Vatsalya Hospital at 2 am complaining of difficulty in breathing.

Acharya Kunal was a retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. He has also been the President of the Bihar State Religious Trust Board. He was the Secretary of the Mahavir Mandir Trust of Patna. He is also the founder of a famous school named Gyan Niketan in Patna.

Acharya Kishore Kunal rebuilt the Mahavir Mandir and established nine charitable hospitals including Mahavir Arogya Sansthan, Mahavir Cancer Sansthan, Mahavir Vatsalya Hospital, Mahavir Netralaya, Mahavir Senior Citizen Hospital. He was also one of the founding members of the Ayodhya Temple Trust. He passed away in the very hospital he had established.

Last rites of Kishore Kunal on Monday

The last rites of Acharya Kishore Kunal will be performed on Monday at 2 pm at Kaunhara Ghat in Hajipur. On Monday, his last journey will start from his residence at 11 am. The mortal remains of Acharya Kishore Kunal, an ardent devotee of Lord Hanuman, will be taken for the last rites via Mahavir Mandir in Patna.

Union Minister Giriraj Singh, CMs Nitish Kumar< Yogi express condolences 

On the demise of Kishore Kunal, Union Minister Giriraj Singh says, "It is saddening for all of us. It's an irreparable loss for society. He was not just an administrative officer - when he took retirement - he left an imprint in the spiritual world. How temples can be in the service of the people - Hanuman temple of Patna is one such example."

Expressing condolences, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said, "The demise of Acharya Kishore Kunal ji, former IPS officer, former president of Bihar State Religious Trust Board and founder secretary of Mahavir Mandir Trust Committee is sad. He was an efficient administrator and sensitive officer. His demise has caused an irreparable loss in the administrative and social sectors. I pray to God for eternal peace of the departed soul."

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath also expressed grief over the demise of a former IPS officer. "The demise of Acharya Kishore Kunal ji, founder member of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra Trust and Secretary of Mahavir Mandir Trust is extremely sad and an irreparable loss to the social and religious field. A humble tribute to him! I pray to Lord Shri Ram to grant a place to the departed soul in his lotus feet and provide strength to the bereaved family and well-wishers to bear this immense loss," he said in an X post. 

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary expressed condolences on his demise and prayed for the peace of the departed soul. Choudhary said that Bihar's state suffered a great loss due to his demise. "The news of the death of former IPS officer Acharya Kishor Kunal ji, President of Patna Mahavir Mandir Trust, due to a heart attack is extremely sad. Kishor Kunal ji has played an important role in the religious and social field. Bihar has suffered a great loss due to his departure. May God grant peace to the departed soul. Om Shanti," Choudhary posted on X.

Bihar BJP President and Minister of State, Dilip Jaiswal also expressed grief over the passing away of Kishore Kunal. "The entire Sanatani community of Bihar and the entire country is heartbroken by his (Kishore Kunal-Secretary of the Mahavir Mandir Trust of Patna) death and we pray to God to grant peace to his soul and we, the people of entire Bihar, are heartbroken to hear the news of his death," Jaiswal told reporters.

JDU leader Neeraj Kumar said, "His honesty, his tough nature, his generosity in spirituality and the creation of various institutions are such unforgettable contributions of his life that the coming generations will remember. Acharya Kishore Kunal will be known as an important signature of an institution and the spiritual world."

Worked for education and health

Acharya Kishore Kunal was born on August 10, 1950. His early education took place in Muzaffarpur. After this, he graduated in History and Sanskrit from Patna University. Later he became an IPS officer of Gujarat cadre. He was also the Senior Superintendent of Police of Patna. After serving in the Home Ministry, he retired and also became the Vice Chancellor of Sanskrit University, Darbhanga. After this, he contributed to improving the education and health system in Bihar. Many leaders including Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha expressed grief over his demise.

Played an important role in the Ram Mandir dispute

During his police career, Acharya Kishore was appointed as Special Duty Officer (Ayodhya) to mediate between the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Babri Masjid Action Committee on the Ayodhya dispute. He was given this responsibility by Prime Minister VP Singh. He took VRS due to his faith in Lord Mahavir. Despite a brilliant career, he did not complete his job and devoted himself to social work.

He also took the initiative to build the world's largest Virat Ramayana temple in East Champaran, Bihar. The construction work of Virat Ramayana Temple started on June 20, 2023. On this 12 December, due to his efforts, the foundation stone of Mahavir Bal Cancer Hospital, the country's first cancer hospital for children, was laid by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. 

With the efforts and vision of Acharya Kishore Kunal, Ram Rasoi is being run by Mahavir Temple of Patna in the Aamava Ram Temple complex of Ayodhya and Sita Rasoi is being run in Janaki Janm Sthan Punauradham in Sitamarhi. On an average, 10 thousand devotee representatives are getting free food prasad in both times in Ram Rasoi of Ayodhya.

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