India, Nov. 10 -- Drones may occupy a central place in urban planning and design for their ability to map large expanses of territory with ease. But on Sunday, a drone spotted outside Matoshree, the residence of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray in Bandra East, sparked a slugfest which exposed chinks in privacy and security, at the personal as well as political levels, across ruling and opposition parties.

Soon after the staff at Matoshree spotted a drone maneuvering over the bungalow on Sunday morning, party leaders accused the Mahayuti government of snooping on the Thackerays. The Mumbai police responded in jiffy, saying the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) was using the drone with prior permission, for a s...