Agra March 7 (IANS): Leading theatre personality, journalist and IPTA general secretary Jitendra Raghvanshi has died of swine flu in a Delhi hospital, family sources told IANS here Saturday. He was 65.

His cremation will take place later in the day at the Taj Ganj cremetorium, a family friend, Abhinay Prasad said.

He had recently retired as head of the foreign languages department of Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar University, formerly Agra University.

He was suffering from swine flu and had been referred to a Delhi hospital when his condition worsened here.

Raghvanshi was a member of the CPI and had taken part in many agitational programmes of the party.

Hundreds of theatre workers from Agra and neighbouring areas were groomed by him over the years.

"The Agra theatre world has lost its leader who through sheer grit and hard work kept alive the traditions of local arts and culture," said Surendra Sharma, president of the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society.