Archive · 23 Aug 2026
Karnataka IAS Officer Found Safe After Father’s Health Emergency
An IAS officer named Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar was reported missing because officials could not reach him.
Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge later said the officer was safe in Uttar Pradesh.
Gangwar had gone there because his father was ill.
His father has a heart condition, and his health had changed suddenly.
Gangwar wrote a note asking for one week of leave.
The leave was not processed right away because government offices were not fully working during a festival.
His official phone was switched off while he travelled.
Kharge said Gangwar’s absence was not connected to searches by the Enforcement Directorate.
Gangwar said he would cooperate if any agency ordered an inquiry.
Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar was reported unreachable from August 20 and later found in his hometown in Uttar Pradesh.
Minister Priyank Kharge said Gangwar left Karnataka suddenly because his father, a heart patient, became unwell.
Gangwar had submitted a handwritten request for one week of leave, but it was not immediately processed during a festival.
Kharge rejected reports linking Gangwar’s absence to Enforcement Directorate searches at the Karnataka Public Service Commission.
Gangwar previously served as KPSC examination controller and said he was willing to face any inquiry; Kharge said no allegations currently exist against him.
- Who
- IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar and Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge.
- What
- Gangwar’s reported disappearance was clarified as an unplanned absence caused by his father’s health emergency.
- When
- Gangwar was unreachable from August 20; Kharge clarified the situation on August 22.
- Where
- Gangwar travelled from Karnataka to his hometown in Uttar Pradesh; officials had last traced him to Kempegowda International Airport.
- Why
- He left suddenly because his father’s health fluctuated and requested one week of leave.
Initial reports and concerns
Minister’s clarification
Gangwar’s whereabouts
Initial reports and concerns
Officials initially said Gangwar had been unreachable for two days, was last traced to Kempegowda International Airport, and had reportedly booked a flight to Delhi.
Minister’s clarification
Priyank Kharge said Gangwar was safe in his Uttar Pradesh hometown after leaving because of his father’s fluctuating health.
Connection to ED searches
Initial reports and concerns
The timing of Gangwar’s absence and his previous role at KPSC led to reports suggesting a possible connection with the Enforcement Directorate searches.
Minister’s clarification
Kharge and Gangwar rejected any connection between the absence and the searches, and Kharge said there were currently no allegations against Gangwar.
Possible inquiry
Initial reports and concerns
Gangwar’s absence raised questions because he had previously been KPSC’s controller of examinations while the commission faced a recruitment-scam investigation.
Minister’s clarification
Kharge said Gangwar was willing to face an inquiry by any agency if ordered, but no formal request for an inquiry against him had been filed.
- Officer
- Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar is a 2016-batch IAS officer and the Director of MSME in Karnataka’s Industries and Commerce Department.
- Initial report
- Officials said Gangwar had been uncontactable since August 20 and was last traced to Kempegowda International Airport; reports also said he had booked a flight to Delhi.
- Family emergency
- Gangwar travelled to Uttar Pradesh because his father, described as a heart patient, became unwell.
- Leave request
- He submitted a handwritten request for one week of leave due to unavoidable circumstances.
- Phone contact
- His official phone was switched off, and officials initially could not reach him while he was travelling.
- KPSC background
- Gangwar previously served as controller of examinations at the Karnataka Public Service Commission and was replaced in March.
- ED investigation
- The Enforcement Directorate searched KPSC premises and others in a money-laundering investigation into an alleged veterinary-officer recruitment examination scam.
- Sahukar action
- The Karnataka Cabinet decided to recommend suspending KPSC chairperson Shivashankarappa S Sahukar and initiating an inquiry.
