Three members of TMC social media team arrested for flying drone near CM Mamata Banerjee’s helicopter

An incident involving a drone being flown near Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's helicopter has come to light in West Bengal's Malda district—a matter being viewed with extreme gravity from a security perspective. The police have arrested three individuals in connection with this incident, and they are set to be produced before the Chanchal Sub-Divisional Court.

According to reports, the incident occurred as Mamata Banerjee was boarding her helicopter to travel to Gajol following a rally in Maltipur. Suddenly, a drone was spotted flying directly in front of her helicopter. The Chief Minister herself noticed the drone; she paused on the boarding steps and looked up at the sky for a brief moment.

One of the arrested accused, Noor Akhtar, admitted to having flown the drone. He stated that they were working on the TMC's social media campaign, and his colleague flew the drone to capture better video footage, despite having been explicitly instructed not to do so.

The police are not taking this matter lightly, as flying a drone in restricted airspace without permission could have posed a significant security threat. According to sources within the Airports Authority of India (AAI), no permission had been obtained for the operation of this drone.