Patna, 29 December (HS): Former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Acharya Kishore Kunal, who was a member of the Ram Mandir Trust, died of a heart attack on Sunday. Kishore Kunal's death has been confirmed by his son.

Kishore Kunal suffered a cardiac arrest on Sunday morning and was immediately taken to Mahavir Vatsala Hospital, where he died.Kunal was one of the founders of the Ayodhya Temple Trust. After retirement, Acharya Kishore Kunal got involved in social work and was currently the chairman of the Bihar State Religious Trust Board and the secretary of Patna's famous Mahavir Mandir Trust. The Mahavir Mandir Trust Board runs several schools and cancer hospitals in Patna.

Kishore Kunal is also the founder Gyan Niketa. When VP Singh was the Prime Minister, Acharya Kishor Kunal was appointed as the Special Officer for mediation between the Central Government, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Babri Masjid Action Committee.

Kishor Kunal was born on 10 August 1950. He did his schooling from Baruraj village of Muzaffarpur district. He graduated in History and Sanskrit from Patna University. He became an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer from Gujarat cadre in 1972 and was posted as Superintendent of Police. From there, he became Deputy Commissioner of Police of Ahmedabad in 1978. He was also a Sanskrit scholar.

Kishor Kunal got promotion in 1983 and was posted as Senior Superintendent of Police in Patna. Kunal worked as Officer on Special Duty in the Home Ministry from 1990 to 1994. As an IPS officer, Kunal was already involved in religious activities. After retiring from the police in the year 2000, he took over the post of Vice Chancellor of KSD Sanskrit University Darbhanga. He remained in this post till 2004 and later he became the administrator of Bihar State Religious Trust Board (BSBRT) and started reforming the prevalent casteist religious practices.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar