Educationist, Nitte Education Trust founder Dr. N Vinay Hegde passes away at 86
Mangaluru: Renowned educationist of Dakshina Kannada and founder of the Nitte Education Trust, Dr. N Vinay Hegde, died on Thursday morning. He was 86.
The son of former Lok Sabha Speaker, late Justice KS Hegde, Dr. Hegde completed his graduation from St. Aloysius College in Mangaluru.
He played a major role in introducing revolutionary changes in education and health sectors in coastal Karnataka, by founding the ‘Nitte Education Trust’ in 1979, to fulfill his father’s dream. Currently, the Trust has more than 40 educational institutions related to medical, engineering, dental science, pharmaceutical science and management, among other fields, working in Mangaluru, Bengaluru and Nitte under it.
Dr. Hegde, an educationist, industrialist and philanthropist, was also the founder-chairman of the Lemina Group of Companies, including Lemina Suspension Private Limited, which is a leading manufacturer of automobile components. He was also active in several state committees, industrial unions and social as well as cultural organizations.
He was honoured with the Kannada Rajyotsava Award and an honorary doctorate for his social service.
Karnataka Assembly Speaker UT Khader has expressed deep condolence at the death of Dr. Hegde.
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Osman Hadi murder: Prime accused denies role, claims he was in Dubai
Dubai: The murder case of Bangladeshi student leader Sharif Osman Hadi has taken a new turn after the prime accused, Faisal Karim Masud, publicly denied any involvement in the killing, asserting that he was in Dubai at the time, contradicting earlier claims by Bangladesh police that he had fled to India.
In a video message that has gone viral on social media, the authenticity of which has not been independently verified, Masud rejected the allegations against him and described the case as a fabricated conspiracy. He claimed that a radical political group was responsible for the attack on Hadi and said he had been falsely implicated.
“I am Faisal Karim Masud. I want to state clearly that I am not involved in the murder of Hadi in any way. This case is completely false and based on a fabricated conspiracy,” Masud said in the video. He added that he was forced to leave Bangladesh and travel to Dubai due to the allegations, despite holding a valid five-year multiple-entry visa for the UAE.
Masud acknowledged that he had visited Hadi’s office shortly before the shooting but maintained that their relationship was purely professional. Describing himself as a businessman who owns an IT firm and a former employee of the Ministry of Finance, Masud said he had approached Hadi regarding a job opportunity. According to him, Hadi sought an advance payment of 500,000 taka for arranging the job and also requested donations for various programmes, which he said he provided.
The accused further alleged that his family members were being harassed and falsely implicated in the case. “They have no involvement whatsoever. This kind of inhumane treatment of my family is unjust and unacceptable, and I strongly protest against it,” he said.
Masud also accused Jamaat-linked elements of orchestrating Hadi’s killing, claiming the student leader was targeted by “Jamaati elements” and that he and his younger brother were deliberately framed. A photograph purportedly showing Masud’s UAE visa has also circulated widely online.
Earlier, Bangladesh police had stated that Masud and another accused, Alamgir Sheikh, fled the country after the killing and entered India through the Meghalaya border. Media reports in Bangladesh claimed the two crossed over via the Haluaghat border in Mymensingh district and were currently in India. India, however, has firmly denied any connection between the accused and its territory, calling the allegations a false narrative being pushed by extremist elements.
Sharif Osman Hadi, a key figure in Bangladesh’s student uprising last year, was shot in the head by masked gunmen in Dhaka on December 12 and succumbed to his injuries six days later at a hospital in Singapore. He had emerged as a prominent leader during the student-led protests that culminated in the end of Sheikh Hasina’s rule.
