Retired IPS officer Acharya Kishore Kunal, the secretary of the Mahavir Mandir Trust, died of cardiac arrest in Patna on Sunday. He was 74.
An IPS officer of the 1972 batch, he was the chief of the Bihar State Board of Religious Trust (BSBRT). Under his leadership, the Mahavir Mandir of Patna became a centre of human service instead of being just a religious institution.
Patna, Bihar: LJP MP Shambhavi Chaudhary, along with her mother, was seen emotional following the demise of her father-in-law Secretary of the Mahavir Mandir Trust and former IPS officer Kishore Kunal pic.twitter.com/7mrH95RI4i
— IANS (@ians_india) December 29, 2024
The Mahavir Mandir Trust runs several hospitals in Bihar. He reportedly oversaw the establishment of nine charitable hospitals including Mahavir Arogya Sansthan, Mahavir Cancer Sansthan, Mahavir Vatsalya Hospital, Mahavir Netralaya and Mahavir Senior Citizen Hospital.
The world's largest Virat Ramayan temple in East Champaran was also built under his leadership, Hindi News 18 said in a report. Kishore Kunal suffered cardiac arrest in the morning and was immediately taken to a hospital where he passed away, his family said.
Acharya Kishore Kunal made his last public appearance on December 22 in connection with the expansion of a dialysis center at Mahavir Arogya Sansthan in Patna. While inaugurating three new dialysis machines, the philanthropist reportedly said that Mahavir Arogya Sansthan is not only the first hospital of Mahavir Mandir Trust but also the first multi-specialty hospital opened by a temple in North India.
The Mahavir Mandir Trust is also building the country's first cancer hospital where all cancer patients up to 18 years of age will get free treatment. The foundation stone of the 100-bed Mahavir Children's Cancer Hospital was laid on December 12, the report added.
At the event, he revealed that a super speciality unit of nephrology and dialysis will be set up in Mahavir Arogya Sansthan to help the financially vulnerable population. The facility will be built on the campus of Mahavir Arogya Sansthan itself, News 18 Hindi quoted Kishore Kunal as saying.
Condoling his death, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said his life was dedicated to social service, religious and cultural upliftment.
#WATCH | Delhi: Bihar MLC Sanjay Mayukh says "A bright star of the social and religious world has disappeared from among us. This is very sad because Kishore Kunal (Secretary of the Mahavir Mandir Trust of Patna) was involved in social service while being an officer in the… pic.twitter.com/QnxYXoJTpX
— ANI (@ANI) December 29, 2024
"He gave Mahavir Mandir a national identity and did unprecedented work for the upliftment of the weaker sections of the society. His contribution is difficult to express in words. His demise is an irreparable loss to society. I pray to God to give peace to the departed soul and strength to his family to bear this grief," Choudhary said.
