Bengaluru: Senior IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar has not gone missing and has travelled to Uttar Pradesh after learning about his father’s illness, Home Minister Priyank Kharge said on Saturday, August 22.
Kumar, who had served as the controller of examinations, came under scrutiny following Enforcement Directorate searches at the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) office and other locations in connection with alleged irregularities in veterinary recruitment examinations. Reports had subsequently claimed that the officer had gone missing.
According to reports, Kumar travelled to Delhi on August 20 after booking a flight at short notice. The ticket for a 3 pm flight was booked at around 1.31 pm, with Rs 30,253 reportedly paid for the ticket. Following this, a senior IAS officer approached the police commissioner seeking information about Kumar’s whereabouts.
However, after officials verified the matter, Home Minister Priyank Kharge clarified that there was no mystery surrounding the officer’s absence.
Kharge said Kumar had received information about his father suffering from a heart-related ailment and had immediately travelled to Uttar Pradesh to be with him. He had also informed his superior through email before leaving Bengaluru.
The minister said the communication may not have been noticed immediately as it coincided with a holiday. Kumar is expected to return to Bengaluru within two days, he said.
Kharge also dismissed speculation that the IAS officer had fled Bengaluru out of fear of questioning by the Income Tax Department or the Enforcement Directorate.
The clarification comes amid heightened scrutiny of the alleged examination irregularities and the recent ED searches, which had triggered speculation about the whereabouts of the officer who was associated with the examination process.
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