Acharya Kishore Kunal. File
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Acharya Kishore Kunal, former IPS officer and founder secretary of Mahavir Mandir Trust died of cardiac arrest on Sunday (December 29, 2024) morning in Patna.
The 1972 batch IPS officer of Gujarat cadre had also served as Patna Senior Superintendent of Police for two years (1983-84). Mr. Kunal was also appointed officer of special duty on the Ayodhya dispute during the time of former Prime Minister V.P. Singh and Chandra Shekhar.
He has also penned several books and the most famous one is Ayodhya Revisited which was also part of the final hearing of high-profile Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid Land Dispute Case.
Mr. Kunal has penned several other books on Dalits, one of the famous books was Dalit Devo Bhava and that was the reason that he appointed two dozen dalit priests in the important temples including the famous Mahavir Mandir of Patna.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed deep condolences on the death of Mr. Kunal. In his condolence message, the Mr. Kumar said that he was an efficient administrator and sensitive officer. who was also associated with various social and religious organizations.
“Late Acharya Kishore Kunal ji carried out various social and religious works while holding the post of Secretary of Mahavir Mandir Trust. He successfully performed his works while holding the post of Chairman of Bihar State Religious Trust Board (BSRTB). His demise has caused irreparable loss in the administrative, social and religious field,”Mr. Kumar said in an official press statement released by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) on Sunday.
During his tenure hundred temples were built on the old sites. Some of the important temples include Garib Nath Mandir at Muzaffarpur, Chaturmukh Mahadev Mandir at Vaishali, Jagannath Mandir at Bodh Gaya, Hanuman Mandir in Patna City and Ram Chaura Mandir at Hajipur. Thousands of temples were renovated and the sale of temple plots was banned.
Mr. Kunal was born on 10 August 1950 and did his schooling from Baruraj village in Muzaffarpur district. He graduated from Patna University in History and in Sanskrit and became an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer in 1972 from Gujarat cadre and was posted as SP, Anand. He also served as deputy commissioner of police, Ahmedabad, in 1978.
From the beginning, Mr. Kunal was involved in religious work during his days as an IPS officer. After retirement in 2000, he joined Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University as its Vice Chancellor for four years.
He was also responsible for the world’s largest Ramayan Temple being built at cost of ₹500 at Kesariya in East Champaran district of Bihar.
He belongs to upper caste Bhumihar and set an example in personal life as well by getting his son Saayan Kunal married in Dalit family. His son has got married to Shambhavi Choudhary, daughter of Ashok Choudhary who is currently minister in Nitish Kumar cabinet, Shambhavi herself is an MP from Samastipur Lok Sabha seat.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Chief Lalu Prasad, Leader of opposition in Bihar Legislative Assembly Tejashwi Yadav, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal and other leaders condoled the death of Mr. Kunal.
Published – December 29, 2024 12:05 pm IST