Mystery drones spotted over Kolkata, Defence Ministry says ‘await official word’ as Army launches probe

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Hastings police station officials spotted 'six to seven' drones travelling across the Kolkata sky from southwest to northeast around 8.45 pm on Monday. They alerted Kolkata Police Special Task Force, who got in touch with the Eastern Command. Both STF and Indian Army have launched separate investigations from all angles, including the possibility of espionage, The Times of India reported.

According to the report, the drones spotted by Hastings police officials were emitting a yellowish-white light and hovering around The 42, the high-rise tower on JL Nehru Road next to Maidan and near Fort William. Similar sightings were reported by people from Park Circus.

“Reports of drone sightings over Kolkata have been received and are currently under investigation. Efforts are underway to ascertain the veracity of this event. Further information will be shared as facts are established,” The Indian Express quoted Wg Cdr Himanshu Tiwari (CPRO, Ministry of Defence, Kolkata) as saying.

"We are not sure if these were drones. We alerted other police stations. Maidan PS OC also contacted Fort William officials. The entire situation is being monitored by the Army," TOI quoted a senior police official at Lalbazar as saying.

"We have received some information from media that drone activity has been spotted in the skies, we’re looking into the authenticity of the information," the Defence Ministry stated while responding to reports of a drone hovering over the Indian Army's Eastern Command headquarters in Kolkata.

"It is requested to not speculate and wait for official version. Please do not speculate as it may be a complete hoax," it added.

According to the report, the central government has sought a report from Bengal govt on this matter. The locals, who tried to record the sightings, said that the drones were flying over areas including Hastings, Red Road, Maidan, Rabindra Sadan, Bhowanipore and 2nd Hooghly Bridge, a no-flying zone because of the proximity to Fort William, and Victoria Memorial.

The STF and detective department officers are collecting footage to share them with experts. "The objects flew in from the direction of Behala, Maheshtala," said an officer. Defence officials said drones cannot be operated in areas with vital installations without Army nod, TOI reported.

This incident follows the May 11 incident in Murshidabad, where a drone was found, triggering panic in the area.

That drone was later identified as one commonly used by photographers for event coverage, with a range of 400-500 meters, a flying time of 15-20 minutes depending on the battery, an inbuilt 4K camera, and no load-carrying capacity.