Shooting using a drone without informing in a sensitive area like ‘Matoshree’ with Z+ security is a very serious matter, Parab said
Mumbai: A drone was spotted hovering near ‘Matoshree,’ the residence of former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday prompting a flurry of accusations from his Shiv Sena UBT party, which called the incident a ‘serious potential breach’ in a high-security zone.
‘Matoshree,’ located in Mumbai’s Bandra area, is a heavily guarded residence. Uddhav Thackeray was not in the house when the drone incident took place as he was touring flood-affected Marathwada region to interact with farmers affected by heavy rains and floods there.
Aaditya Thackeray, Sena (UBT) MLA and Uddhav’s son, said the drone appeared to be “peeping into the residence” and flew away quickly when noticed.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Anil Parab demanded a detailed inquiry to determine the purpose behind the drone activity, identify the individuals responsible and determine whether there was any ‘terrorist background’ associated with it.
In a post on ‘X,’ Parab said, “The police should investigate the matter. The identity of the drone operator and the motive behind the drone video should be found out. Why was filming done using the drone? Is there any terrorist background behind this?”
Shooting using a drone without informing in a sensitive area like ‘Matoshree’ with Z+ security is a very serious matter, Parab said.
Responding to the concerns, Mumbai Police stated that drone operations were being conducted in the BKC and Kherwadi areas with permission from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). The drones were being used for authorised survey purposes, and the police urged the public to avoid spreading misinformation regarding the incident.
Aaditya Thackeray, however, questioned why the residents were not informed if it was an authorised survey and questioned whether an MMRDA survey would single out ‘Matoshree.’
Thackeray challenged the explanation, asking which survey permits aerial spying inside homes and allows drones to flee immediately after being spotted. He criticised the authorities for not informing the residents beforehand and questioned whether MMRDA was specifically monitoring his home or the entire BKC area.
He further criticised the MMRDA for “focusing on surveillance instead of improving ground-level work,” citing the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link as an example of “corruption and poorly executed projects.”
