Case against five for flying drone at MPSC protest on SM Joshi bridge in Pune
Vishrambaug police have booked five people and seized a drone and its remote controller, worth about Rs 50,000, from the students' protest site.
Images are not validated/verified
A case has been registered against five people in Pune for flying a drone to shoot footage during the students' agitation on S. M. Joshi bridge, where protesters are demanding the resignation of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) chairman. Vishrambaug police have seized the drone camera and its remote controller. The seized items are valued at about Rs 50,000. The case was registered on October 10, 2026, and the investigation is continuing.
According to the police, a drone was seen flying over the crowd gathered at the protest site at around 7.30 pm on October 5. On receiving information, the police searched the surrounding area. They found a man operating the drone with a remote controller near a generator at the back of the protest site, and questioned him. The complaint states that the questioning revealed the reason for flying the drone and details about the shooting.
The police said the drone operator is Digambar Bharat Khare, 35. According to the complaint, he said he had neither a licence to fly the drone nor permission from the local police. The police have also recorded that Khare said he was shooting at the behest of Pramod Patil, Shivraj More, Rushikesh Gangurde and Akshay Kamble, who are part of the agitation. On the basis of this information, the police registered a case against five people, including Khare.
During the action, the police seized the drone camera and remote controller in the presence of panch witnesses and sealed them. According to the police, the drone is worth about Rs 40,000. It is an old, grey drone. The remote controller is black and is valued at about Rs 10,000. Together, the two items are worth roughly Rs 50,000.
The case was registered at Vishrambaug police station in Pune on October 10, 2026, under Section 224 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. The FIR names Digambar Bharat Khare, Pramod Patil, Shivraj More, Rushikesh Gangurde and Akshay Kamble. Woman sub-inspector Shobha Teli is investigating the case.
No court has yet ruled on the allegations in the case, and the allegations against those named should not be taken as proven. The police have logged the seized equipment, and the role of each accused is being examined.
