Karnataka IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar, who was reported to have gone missing after being last traced to Bengaluru airport, has communicated with the state government and clarified that he had travelled to his hometown due to a family emergency, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge said on Saturday.
Kharge said the officer had sought leave and travelled urgently, but was not reachable on his official phone during the period, leading to confusion and speculation about his whereabouts.
“There have been reports that an IAS officer in Karnataka has gone missing,” Kharge said in a post on X. “The officer concerned has since communicated with the Government and clarified that, due to a family emergency, he had sought leave and had to travel urgently to his hometown.”
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Gangwar, a 2016-batch IAS officer, is currently serving as Director, MSME, in the Department of Industries and Commerce. He had reportedly been incommunicado since August 20 and had booked a flight ticket to Delhi, news agency PTI reported.
{{/usCountry}}Gangwar, a 2016-batch IAS officer, is currently serving as Director, MSME, in the Department of Industries and Commerce. He had reportedly been incommunicado since August 20 and had booked a flight ticket to Delhi, news agency PTI reported.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier on Saturday, Kharge had said the government had received information that Gangwar was unreachable, but no formal complaint had been lodged by his family or anyone else.
“The information came a couple of days ago. No formal complaint has been lodged by his family or anyone else. From this morning, there are also reports on this in the media,” Kharge said in response to questions about the reports.
He had also said the officer was last traced to Kempegowda International Airport and that the government was looking into the matter.
“All modes of communication with him have been disconnected, and he is not reachable. As of now, we have information that he was last traced to Kempegowda International Airport. We have received some information from the airport and are looking into it. We are still investigating and will decide on the further course of action,” the minister had said.
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Gangwar had earlier served as controller of examinations at the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) before being replaced in March this year. PTI sources said there were reports linking his absence to developments during his tenure at the commission, though this could not be independently confirmed.
The development comes amid scrutiny of the KPSC. The Karnataka Cabinet on Friday decided to recommend to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot that KPSC chairperson Shivashankarappa S Sahukar be suspended and that an inquiry be initiated against him.
(With inputs from PTI)