Drone spotted during protest outside Punjab Raj Bhawan

Chandigarh Police were caught off guard as a drone was spotted at Punjab Raj Bhawan during a Congress protest on Monday

In a major security breach, Chandigarh Police were caught off guard as a drone was spotted at Punjab Raj Bhawan during a Congress protest on Monday.

A man was found operating the drone while standing at some distance from the protest site outside Punjab Raj Bhawan. (Representative image)

The incident took place when Congress workers, led by Navjot Singh Sidhu, reached the governor’s house without intimating police about the protest. As Congressmen sat at the gate and started raising slogans, a drone was spotted flying over the protest site.

Policemen, who had reached the site by then, swung into action and found a man operating the drone while standing at some distance from the protest site. He was immediately stopped and his drone and other devices were checked, but no recording was found.

The man told police that he had come to cover the protest. He was let off after questioning. “We are verifying his credentials. No case has been registered,” said Ketan Bansal, superintendent of police (SP, City), Chandigarh.

In view of security threats and the possibility of misuse of drones by anti-social elements, the UT administration had banned their use on September 15. According to the order issued by district magistrate Mandip Singh Brar, flying of drones and low-flying objects is prohibited within Chandigarh for 60 days.