Pune police have registered a second FIR linked to the MPSC protest in Navi Peth, naming five people, including Maharashtra Youth Congress president Shivraj More, for allegedly flying a drone without permission to record the gathering. The case was registered by Vishrambaug police at 1.56 am on October 10 under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with disobedience of an order issued by a public servant.
The FIR relates to the protest held near S M Joshi Bridge on October 5 during the visit of CJP leader Abhijit Dipke and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut. The protest has centred on MPSC candidates’ demands for transparency in recruitment and action over alleged irregularities.
Those named in the case are photographer Digambar Bharat Khare, Shivraj More, Pramod Patil, Hrishikesh Gangurde and Akshay Kamble. According to the complaint filed by police head constable Yuvraj Bharat Tele, he was deployed at the protest site at around 7.30 pm when he noticed a drone flying over the gathering.
The complaint states that Tele traced the alleged operator, Khare, to an open area behind the venue and informed senior police inspector Navnath Jagtap and police sub-inspector Kudale, who were also on duty. Police then directed Khare to land the device, according to the FIR.
The complaint further states that Khare allegedly admitted that he did not have permission from the local police to operate the drone and said he was filming on the instructions of More, Patil, Gangurde and Kamble. Police seized a DJI drone camera valued at around Rs 40,000 and its remote controller, valued at Rs 10,000. The equipment was recorded in a seizure panchnama prepared in the presence of two witnesses and later sealed.
Police also asked Khare to submit documents showing that permission had been obtained for the drone flight. According to the FIR, he failed to produce those documents. Police sub-inspector Shobha Teli is investigating the case.
The latest FIR follows another case registered by Vishrambaug police a day earlier against 15 people over alleged violations during the MPSC agitation. The two cases place the protest under continuing police scrutiny as candidates press their demands over the recruitment process. The investigation into the alleged unauthorised drone operation is ongoing.
