Ex-Bihar governor DY Patil passes away

Former governor of Tripura, Bihar, and West Bengal, Dnyandeo Yashwant Patil passed away on Tuesday at Kolhapur in western Maharashtra after a prolonged illness. He was 90.

A leading ‘education baron’ of Maharashtra, DY Patil founded and managed several education and sports institutions. The DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, venue of many international cricket matches, is named after him. The DY Patil Group he founded in 1983 operates over 160 educational institutions, deemed universities and prominent sports and medical infrastructure in Navi Mumbai, Pune, and Kolhapur.

Patil passed away at his residence in Kolhapur on Tuesday morning, family sources said. He is survived by his sons, former State minister and Congress leader Satej Patil, Sanjay Patil, Ajinkya Patil, and daughter Nandita Palshetkar, a gynaecologist.

Patil was a member of the State Legislative Assembly from 1967 to 1978 before turning his focus to the education sector. The DY Patil University, founded by him, offers courses in medicine, engineering and many other disciplines.

Patil was mayor of Kolhapur from 1957 to 1962, and was elected as an MLA from the Panhala constituency in 1967 and 1972.

Born on October 22, 1935, in Ambap, a village in Kolhapur district, Patil established the first private engineering college in Navi Mumbai.

In recognition of his contributions to education and social service, he was honoured with the prestigious civilian award, the Padma Shri, in 1991.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expressed grief over the passing away of his former party colleague.