Parviz Dharwad, an Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) at Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited (KRIDL) in Gadag, has been missing since September 13. He reportedly left for Bengaluru citing a meeting but failed to return. The disappearance follows a letter he allegedly wrote to the KRIDL Managing Director on September 12, detailing severe administrative and personal distress.
The note paints a grim picture of bureaucratic dysfunction. Dharwad claimed that while Rs 6 crore in funds had been sought for works in the Gadag subdivision, none had been released. He noted that Rs 2 crore allocated for other projects sat idle at the KRIDL headquarters in Bengaluru. This mismatch left him unable to pay contractors for completed jobs, triggering what he described as daily harassment from group leaders and vendors who visited his home and shouted at him in the office.
Police registered a missing-person case at Betageri Police Station in Gadag on September 16. Authorities have traced Dharwad’s last digital footprint to Andhra Pradesh. Five police teams are currently combing the region to locate him. The letter itself contains alarming references to his mental state, stating he intended to end his life and asking his family for forgiveness, while explicitly noting that no one else should be held responsible.
This is not an isolated incident for Dharwad. Police records show he went missing in 2024 for similar reasons and was traced in Goa after five days. His family has requested that the funding shortage be resolved and that another AEE be appointed to his division. They are also anxious that relatives not face further harassment. The search continues as authorities work to determine whether this is another voluntary disappearance or something more sinister.