Kochi: The Mattancherry police on Friday, October 30 detained a Punjab native settled in Canada for allegedly flying a drone without the requisite permissions in a highly sensitive area near the Mattancherry synagogue in Keralam, The Hindu reported. The detainee was identified as Ashu Kumar Khanna, 66, of Amritsar, Punjab, now settled in Ontario, Canada.

According to the reports, Khanna was booked under Sections 289 (negligent conduct with respect to machinery) and 125 (an act done so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life or the personal safety of others) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and Sections 22 (airspace zone permissions) and 49 (carrying out an activity in contravention of the Drone Rules) of the Drone Rules. He was later released after being served a notice. These are police allegations recorded in the FIR and have not been proved in court.

Why the area is treated as highly sensitive

According to the FIR, the drone was flown in a highly sensitive area comprising the synagogue, the Coast Guard premises and INS Dronacharya, the Indian Navy's premier gunnery and missile training establishment. Mirror Now, reporting the detention on Saturday, October 31, likewise said the flight took place near the historic Mattancherry synagogue and key defence installations, which drew immediate attention from the authorities.

Detention comes weeks after synagogue-area arson case

The incident comes close on the heels of the alleged arson attack on the premises of the 800-year-old Kadavumbhagam Synagogue in Ernakulam earlier in October. In that separate case, the Kochi City police have invoked the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against the accused, Ebin Paul. Police have not linked the drone flight to that case in the reporting available so far. What happens next will turn on the notice proceedings and any further inquiry police conduct into the flight.

Source: Mirror Now