Himachal Opposition Alleges Privacy Breach with Surveillance Drones

Jairam Thakur, Himachal Pradesh Opposition leader, accused the state government of violating his privacy by flying drones over his residence. CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu denied the allegations, explaining that the drones are for GI mapping purposes. Thakur claimed the issue has been raised multiple times without adequate response.

Jairam Thakur, the leader of the Opposition in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly, has accused the state government of privacy invasion by flying drones above his residence. He stated, "When I was leaving for the assembly today, I saw a drone above my house. This government is violating privacy. Phones are already being tapped, and now drones are also being used for surveillance. The CM should have answered on this but he was silent on this."

In response, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu denied the accusations, clarifying that the drones are part of a GI mapping initiative throughout Shimla. He assured that any potential privacy issues would be investigated. "The drone which is being flown is being used for GI mapping, it is being flown all over Shimla, why would we spy on him? He was a former CM. I have also assured him that if such things have happened we will investigate this, but he is creating an issue of this...They are left with no issues," said CM Sukhu.

Jairam Thakur countered the CM's statement, asserting that drone sightings over his residence are recurring, and that he has addressed this matter in the state assembly. Claiming that the government has been unresponsive, Thakur said, "This incident is not just of today, we have seen it (drones) many times before. Today when the drone was seen, we thought it appropriate to say our point in the assembly but the irresponsible manner in which the Chief Minister responded is very unfortunate. We believe that the government is trying to suppress this matter and drones are being used for deliberate surveillance. When they were repeatedly taking this issue lightly, we walked out of the House over this issue. They do not respond to our issues."

(With inputs from agencies.)