BENGALURU: Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Saturday said an IAS officer who was reported missing has since established contact with the government.
The senior IAS officer had reportedly gone incommunicado since Thursday evening, after which the city police had begun efforts to trace him. Amid the recent Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids in connection with the alleged irregularities in Karnataka Public Service Commission examinations, the disappearance of senior IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangawar had drawn significant public attention. The 2016 batch officer, who had earlier served as Controller of Examinations at KPSC, is with the MSME department at present.
Priyank Kharge told the media, “The officer has since contacted the government and clarified that he had to travel urgently to his hometown after seeking leave due to a family emergency.” He said, “The fact that his official phone was unreachable during this period appears to have led to confusion and speculation regarding his whereabouts.
He is now in contact with the government and has clarified the actual situation.” Kharge had earlier said that the report about the officer going missing had come to his notice two days ago.