IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar questioned by CID in Karnataka vet recruitment scam
Synopsis
A 2016-batch IAS officer who went missing after an ED raid on his home finally appeared before the CID in Bengaluru — but not before a police team had travelled to Uttar Pradesh looking for him. The Karnataka veterinary recruitment scam is now pulling in senior bureaucrats and a suspended KPSC chairman, with both the ED and CID running parallel probes.
Key Takeaways
IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar appeared before the CID in Bengaluru on 28 August for questioning in the alleged veterinary officers recruitment scam.
Gangwar had served as examination controller at the KPSC when the veterinary officers recruitment exam was conducted.
The ED had raided his residence the previous Sunday; a police team subsequently travelled to Uttar Pradesh to locate him but could not find him there.
Suspended KPSC Chairman Shivashankarappa Sahukar also appeared before the CID for questioning.
Kumaraswamy questioned Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge over the government's statements on Gangwar's whereabouts.
The ED is probing the financial aspects of the case; the CID is investigating procedural irregularities in the recruitment process.
IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar appeared before the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Bengaluru on Friday, 28 August for questioning in connection with the alleged Karnataka veterinary officers recruitment scam. The development comes days after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at his residence and a police team reportedly travelled to Uttar Pradesh to locate him.
Officer Appears Before CID
Gangwar, who had served as examination controller during the veterinary officers recruitment process, was questioned by ACP Raghavendra Hegde, the Investigating Officer at the CID office. His appearance marks a significant turn in an investigation that had been clouded by uncertainty over his whereabouts.
A 2016-batch IAS officer, Gangwar is currently posted as Director of MSME at the Karnataka Department of Industries and Commerce. His earlier role as controller of examinations at the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) places him at the centre of the alleged recruitment irregularities.
The ED Raid and the Disappearance Row
High drama had unfolded the previous Sunday when ED officials arrived at Gangwar's residence to conduct searches in connection with the alleged irregularities in the recruitment of veterinary officers by the KPSC. The officer had reportedly written to the government seeking 15 days' leave, citing his father's heart attack as the reason.
Following the ED searches, a team of officials reportedly travelled to his native village in Uttar Pradesh to locate him — but could not find him there. His subsequent appearance before the CID in Bengaluru has since provided investigators with a crucial opportunity to record his account.
Political Controversy Over Whereabouts
The case has drawn sharp political attention. Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy publicly questioned Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge over the government's handling of the matter and its statements regarding Gangwar's location.
Kharge had earlier maintained that the officer had submitted a written leave application citing his father's health condition, and that the government had no reason to question a formal leave request from an official. Critics, however, argued the timing of the leave — immediately after the ED searches — warranted closer scrutiny.
KPSC Chairman Also Questioned
Suspended Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) Chairman Shivashankarappa Sahukar also appeared before the CID for questioning in connection with the same investigation. The questioning of both Gangwar and Sahukar is expected to help investigators reconstruct the sequence of events surrounding the recruitment process and establish the roles of officials involved in the alleged irregularities.
Parallel ED and CID Probes
The alleged recruitment irregularities are being examined on two fronts. The ED is focusing on the financial dimensions of the case, while the CID is probing the procedural irregularities in the recruitment process and the conduct of officials involved. Both investigations are ongoing, and further questioning of witnesses and accused is expected in the coming days.
Point of View
That it had no reason to doubt a written leave request, may be procedurally defensible but is politically untenable when the ED is simultaneously raiding the same officer's home. What this case also exposes is the structural vulnerability of public service commission recruitment to insider manipulation: an examination controller sits at precisely the chokepoint where irregularities are easiest to engineer and hardest to detect. The parallel ED and CID probes suggest the alleged scam has both financial and procedural dimensions — and the questioning of the suspended KPSC chairman alongside a serving IAS officer signals that investigators are looking well beyond a single bad actor.
NationPress
28 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar and why is he being questioned?
Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar is a 2016-batch IAS officer currently serving as Director of MSME at the Karnataka Department of Industries and Commerce. He is being questioned by the CID because he previously served as examination controller at the KPSC when the veterinary officers recruitment exam was conducted, and is suspected of involvement in alleged irregularities in that recruitment process.
What is the Karnataka veterinary officers recruitment scam?
The case involves alleged irregularities in the recruitment of veterinary officers conducted by the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC). Both the ED and the CID are investigating the matter — the ED is examining the financial aspects, while the CID is probing procedural irregularities and the roles of officials involved.
Why did a police team travel to Uttar Pradesh in connection with this case?
After the ED raided Gangwar's residence, officials reportedly travelled to his native village in Uttar Pradesh to locate him, as his whereabouts were uncertain. The team reportedly could not find him there; he subsequently appeared before the CID in Bengaluru on 28 August.
Who else has been questioned in the KPSC recruitment scam?
Suspended KPSC Chairman Shivashankarappa Sahukar also appeared before the CID for questioning in connection with the same investigation. Investigators expect the questioning of both Gangwar and Sahukar to help establish the sequence of events in the recruitment process.
What is the political angle in this case?
Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy publicly questioned Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge over the government's statements on Gangwar's whereabouts following the ED raid. Kharge had maintained that Gangwar had submitted a formal written leave request citing his father's health, and that the government had no grounds to reject it.
