Lucknow: In the wake of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's directive to tighten enforcement of drone regulations across Uttar Pradesh, several districts including Ayodhya, Muzaffarnagar, Mathura, Meerut and Bijnor have imposed bans on unauthorised drone operations to prevent the misuse of drones and curb rising public anxiety caused by circulating rumours and false videos, officials said .

In Ayodhya, where drone restrictions were earlier limited to the temple town area surrounding the Ram Janmabhoomi complex, a blanket ban on drone operations has now been enforced across the entire district.

Ayodhya District Magistrate Nikhil Tikaram Funde, exercising powers under BNSS Section 163, declared the ban at a joint press conference with Senior Superintendent of Police Gaurav Grover on Monday.

"Suspicious drone activity has been reported from several districts, which could potentially aid criminal acts or trigger panic," the DM said, adding that only police and authorised security agencies will be exempt from the order. Private individuals and organisations must obtain prior written permission to fly drones.

The order in Ayodhya follows a high-level videoconference chaired by Chief Minister Adityanath on Sunday, where he instructed district magistrates and police officials to strictly monitor drone activity in light of 17 FIRs and 29 arrests linked to drone-related rumours.