Pune police have registered a case against five people over the alleged operation of a drone without prior permission while filming an MPSC aspirants’ protest near S.M. Joshi Bridge in Navi Peth. The FIR was registered by Vishrambaug police at 1.56 a.m. on October 10 under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with disobedience of an order issued by a lawfully empowered public servant.
The people named in the case are photographer Digambar Bharat Khare, Pramod Patil, Shivraj More, Hrishikesh Gangurde and Akshay Kamble. The case follows a complaint filed by police head constable Yuvraj Bharat Tele, who was deployed at the protest site near Patrakar Bhavan.
According to the complaint, the incident took place at about 7.30 p.m. on October 5, when a drone was seen flying above the gathering. Tele stated that he traced the operator to an open space behind the protest site and informed Senior Police Inspector Navnath Jagtap and Police Sub-Inspector Kudale, who was also deployed at the location.
The FIR records that Khare allegedly told police he did not have permission to operate the drone or approval from the local police. It further states that he was filming on the instructions of Patil, More, Gangurde and Kamble. Police then directed the operator to bring the drone down, according to the complaint.
A DJI drone camera valued at approximately ₹40,000 and a remote controller valued at ₹10,000 were seized and sealed. The seizure was documented through a panchnama prepared in the presence of two witnesses, the complaint states.
The police complaint further says that Khare was asked to submit documents showing that permission had been granted for the drone operation. Those documents had not been provided by the time the complaint was lodged, according to the FIR. The registration of the case records the police allegation; it does not establish guilt against any of the named individuals.
The protest had been underway since October 1 and was organised by Pramod Patil and Nitin Gite over demands raised by Maharashtra Public Service Commission aspirants. The gathering was being held near S.M. Joshi Bridge, a public urban space in Navi Peth, where police personnel had been deployed during the agitation.
Police Sub-Inspector Shobha Teli has been assigned to investigate the case. The seized equipment and any documents submitted regarding permission for the drone operation will form part of the investigation, according to the information recorded in the FIR.
