Ashok Singhal's death: Five things you need to know about the VHP founder

VHP leader Ashok Singhal, who rose to prominence playing a leading role in the Ram Janambhoomi movement, dies at 89.

Ashok Singhal passes away at 89

Gurgaon: VHP leader Ashok Singhal, who rose to prominence playing a leading role in the Ram Janambhoomi movement in the late eighties and after, died on Tuesday at a private hospital in Gurgaon.

Here are five things you need to know about the founder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

1- Ashok Singhal was 89. He died at 2.24 PM on Tuesday at Gurgaon's Medanta Medicity hospital following cardio-vascular failure and septicaemia.

2- A bachelor and an RSS pracharak all his life, Ashok Singhal, adopted an aggressive style in the "kar sewak" campaign in the build-up to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December, 1992.

3- Singhal was a metallurgy engineering graduate from prestigious Banaras Hindu University.

4- He pitchforked the organisation i.e. VHP in the Ayodhya Ram temple movement and sought to internationalise it by recruiting supporters and organising branches world wide. It is noteworthy that the overseas supporters contributed immensely to the VHP campaign.

5- Ashok  Singhal was in the Intensive Care Unit after he was diagnosed with right lower Lobe Pneumonia; he was on ventilator from November 14 evening.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also condoled the death of Ashok Singhal.