A political controversy surfaced on Sunday morning after Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray alleged that a drone was spotted hovering suspiciously near his Mumbai residence. Thackeray raised the issue on social media platform X, expressing concerns over privacy and questioning the motive behind such surveillance. He claimed that the drone was “caught peeping” into his family home, sparking alarm among those living there. According to him, once media personnel began seeking clarification, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) responded, stating the drone was engaged in an authorised survey of the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) area with permission from Mumbai Police. “Okay,” Thackeray wrote, before proceeding with further questions.
In his follow-up remarks, Thackeray challenged the explanation provided by MMRDA, questioning the nature of the survey and why such an operation would involve a drone flying close enough to peer into private residences. He argued that if the drone was legitimately part of an official survey, residents of the area should have been notified beforehand. “Why weren’t residents informed?” he asked, stressing that the sudden appearance and quick departure of the drone raised doubts. Thackeray further criticised the MMRDA for what he described as misplaced priorities, stating, “The MMRDA should rather get on the ground and focus on the sham of its work, like the MTHL (Atal Setu), which is an example of its corruption.”
Thackeray also questioned why residents remained uninformed even if the operation was cleared by the police. “If the Police gave it permission, why weren’t residents informed?” he wrote, tagging both MMRDA and Mumbai Police in his post. The concerns raised have brought attention to the transparency and accountability of government survey activities conducted in residential areas. The incident has also ignited discussions over citizens’ privacy rights, especially when drones are increasingly used for infrastructure planning and monitoring. So far, neither MMRDA nor Mumbai Police has provided any detailed explanation beyond stating that the drone was involved in an authorised BKC-related survey. The situation continues to draw political reactions.