Puri: Residents in the vicinity of Puri Srimandir woke up to a buzzing sound on January 5 morning at around 4 am. To their dismay, most people noticed an object with fluorescent lights hovering around the temple top for about 30 minutes. That the drone was utiised for security purposes or violating the security guidelines was beyond their comprehension. After police intervened on getting complaints it became clear that the object was a drone - an unmanned aerial vehicle, that was flying illegally on a strictly no-fly zone.
However, even though more than a week has passed, no headway has been made in the investigations neither has anyone held accountable for the lapse. This is not the first instance of security breach in the air space surrounding Puri Jagannath temple, as there had been incursions earlier too threatening the safety of the 12th century shrine.
It is suspected that the drone most likely was used by a vlogger.
Criticizing the inaction of the police in the matter, senior lawyer Sharat Rayaguru said there is immense significance of the temple which is frequented by tourists from across the seven seas. "The matter therefore warrants more importance be given to such violations atop the Srimandir. The temple is in a red zone, and drones are strictly prohibited to protect it and ensure safety,” he said. Rayaguru called for immediate installation of modern anti-drone technology around the temple premises.
It is also imperative that the town police , like the Kumbh Mela 2025 that kicked off on Monday morning at Prayagraj, must go digital and deploy drones to keep an eye on incursions and transmit real time data to the command centre, Rayaguru added.
Criticism is rife as residents in the town alleged that the police are hand in glove with the violators. "Why would the police otherwise not arrest the people who dared to fly drones in a high security zone without permission," they questioned.
As per information gathered on the matter, the temple administration too has not taken any legal recourse. "Modern technology and machinery have now come to disable drones which can be installed near the temple as a precautionary measure," Rayaguru asserted.
On the other hand, a senior temple servitor, Raghunath Gochchikar, opined that there are a lot of secrets associated with the Jagannath temple which should not go out of the premises. "But such drones can pick up every detail about the temple if restrictions imposed are not followed in letter and spirit. It is a threat to the temple. If restrictions on drones are not tightened, the temple will be in danger in the coming days. It is time the police took action on the violators," he stated assertively.
Speaking on the illegality of flying drones atop the temple, Puri SP Vinit Agarwal said, a special team has been formed by the police regarding this incident and investigation into the incident is on. "We are looking into the CCTV footage and investigating from various angles. We will soon arrest the accused and take legal action. The security arrangements for the temple will be further tightened in the coming days and watch towers set up around the temple besides 24-hour police force will be deployed.
In 2023, a YouTuber, Animesh, was arrested and charged by the Puri police for flying a drone over the temple. under sections 468, 420, 511, 1934 Aircraft Act 10(2) of the IPC and 30(A)4(C) of the Jagannath Temple Act 1954. A special team led by the then City DSP KK Hariprasad raided areas in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal and finally arrested him from the area under Nimta police station in West Bengal. He was produced before the Barrackpore court before being brought on transit remand to Puri. The drone and his mobile phone were seized.
On December 3, 2022, Animesh shot drone pictures of the temple and uploaded on YouTube. He had allegedly been demanding Rs 20,000 for any of his temple videos which were shot from close range. He had also reportedly used the logo of Odisha police while shooting. A case was registered at Singhadwar police station of the temple on December 4, 2022.
According to the rules of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) , sensitive areas for flying and obtaining permission for drone license have been divided into Red, Yellow and Green Zones.
Excerpts From Drone Rules 2021 Gazette :
The airspace map for unmanned aircraft system operations shall be so designed as to be programmatically accessible through a machine readable Application Programming Interface and interactive so that unmanned aircraft system pilots shall be able to plot their proposed flight plan and easily identify the zone within which it falls so as to assess whether or not they need to make an application for prior approval.
Mandatory pre-flight verification of zonal restrictions.–– Before commencing an unmanned aircraft system operation, a remote pilot shall mandatorily verify the digital sky platform for any notification or restriction applicable to unmanned aircraft system operations in the intended area of operation.
Requirement of prior permission.––(1) No person shall operate an unmanned aircraft system in a red zone or yellow zone without prior permission. (2) No prior permission shall be required for operating an unmanned aircraft system in a green zone, subject to the provisions of rule 21.
The Central Government may update the airspace map on digital sky platform for unmanned aircraft system operations from time to time in order to change the status of an area from one zone to another and such change shall come into effect no sooner than seven days after the date of such update.
Temporary Red Zone (1) If there is an urgent need to temporarily prohibit unmanned aircraft system flights in any specified area, the concerned State Government or the Union Territory Administration or a law enforcement agency may declare a temporary red zone over such specified area, for a period not exceeding ninety six hours at a time, by notifying it through the digital sky platform and highlighting it on the airspace map.
(2) The temporary red zone shall be declared by an officer not below the rank of Superintendent of Police or his equivalent and such officer shall endeavour to keep the size of the temporary red zone reasonable and not excessive.
(3) An endeavour shall be made to inform, through digital sky platform or other electronic means, to all holders of unique identification number who are within a distance of five kilometre from the perimeter of the temporary red zone, of the restriction so declared under sub-rule (1), but in case no such information is received, it shall not absolve a remote pilot of the responsibility to verify the zonal restrictions on the digital sky platform before commencing an unmanned aircraft system operation.
Access to digital sky platform: The nodal officers of State Governments, Union Territory Administrations and law enforcement agencies shall be provided direct access to the digital sky platform.
Safe operation: No person shall operate an unmanned aircraft system in a manner, either directly or indirectly, as to endanger the safety and security of any person or property. Prohibition on carriage of arms, ammunition, explosives and military stores, etc.
No person, shall carry or cause or permit to be carried in any unmanned aircraft to, from, within or over India, any arms, ammunitions, munitions of war, implements of war, explosives and military stores, except with the written permission of the Central Government or any other person authorised by the Central Government in this behalf and subject to the terms and conditions of such permission.
Carriage of dangerous goods: No person shall carry dangerous goods on unmanned aircraft unless such operation is in compliance with the Aircraft (Carriage of Dangerous Goods) Rules, 2003.
Right of way: No person operating an unmanned aircraft system shall violate the right of way of a manned aircraft and shall remain clear of all manned aircrafts.
Registration of drones mandatory
Registration is mandatory to fly a drone in India. For this, one has to go to the online portal Digitalsky and apply. After registering the drone, a drone acknowledgement number is given. One has to keep this unique identification number (UIN) at all times.
Before flying a drone, one needs to obtain a remote pilot license. This license is issued after its training and test.
India’s airspace is divided into three zones—Green, Yellow, and Red—with strict restrictions for drone flights in the Red Zone, which includes military bases and historical monuments like Puri Srimandir. Violations can lead to fines of up to Rs. 1 lakh and imprisonment.
Green Zone : A drone can be flown without permission in the Green Zone up to a height of 400 feet and 120 meters. To fly a drone above this height, one has to take permission from the departmental authorities.
Yellow Zone : Flying a drone in this zone requires permission from the Air Traffic Control Authority. The area of 8 to 12 kilometers from any airport is called the Yellow Zone.
Red Zone : There are strict restrictions on flying drones in the Red Zone. Along with military bases, many historical monuments, many important institutions come under the sensitive Red Zone. Only the Central Government can give permission to fly drones in this zone.
Illegal mobile phone shoots from inside Puri temple
Though carrying mobile phones inside Puri Srimandir is strictly prohibited and visitors are whisked on way to the premises, on Sunday, January 12, one Gaurav Kumar Sahu, shared the photo of Srimandir premises on social media, once again sparking concerns over the temple's security arrangements. Such instances have been happening time and again in the temple. However, no punitive action has reportedly been taken against the violators.
As per rules, anyone found carrying a mobile phone inside the temple premises is liable for a fine of Rs 1000. However, this has not deterred people from violating rules as no serious action is taken on such complaints.
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