Use of Drones https://scroll.in/article/1063802/farmers-protest-isnt-the-only-target-of-drones-deployed-by-indian-security-forces drones made by Drone Imaging and Information Service of Haryana Limited, or DRIISHYA, a public limited company launched in 2021. In 2022, the Border Security Force had unveiled a drone-based tear smoke launcher, describing it as a "force multiplier for the security forces working in the law-and-order management domain".
In 2019, during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, the Delhi Police had used cameras mounted on drones to identify protestors. Drones were also put to use during the violence in Delhi in February 2020, in which 53 people – mostly Muslim – were killed. In response to a Right to Information plea on the use of drones for policing during the violence, the Delhi Police offered "no comment" on whether there were guidelines, rules or standard operating procedures according to which they acted.
In an even more striking incident Scroll reported last year, residents of four villages – Bhattiguda, Kawargatta, Jabbagatta and Meenagatta – in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh had alleged that drones were used for aerial bombing in the area in April. Residents of several villages in the region had made such claims in January 2023, April 2022 and April 2021 too.
the government to introduce the Drone Rules, 2021, which had simpler regulations,” Somayajula said. “In the new set of rules, there were no provisions for citizen privacy and protection of data collected by the drone or any mention of safeguards to privacy or data protection.”
Even before the Drone Rules were introduced, the civil aviation ministry in April 2021 exempted all government agencies under the Union home ministry and police forces in all states and Union Territories from the Unmanned Aircraft System Rules.