After Celebi, Asisguard next: Turkish drone maker linked to Golden Temple attack faces probe in MP

Days after India revoked the security clearance of Turkish aviation giant Celebi over national security concerns, another Ankara firm — Asisguard — has come under scrutiny.

The company, which holds a ₹230 crore contract for Automatic Fare Collection systems in the Bhopal and Indore Metro projects, is also the manufacturer of Songar armed drones, used by Pakistan against India during Operation Sindoor.

These Songar drones, developed by Ankara-based Asisguard, are Turkey’s first indigenous armed drones, capable of being outfitted with machine guns, grenade launchers, or electronic warfare payloads. 

Initially deployed by the Turkish military, these drones made headlines when they appeared as part of a 300–400-drone offensive launched by Pakistan.

Among the 36 targeted locations were key military bases and civilian sites stretching from Leh to Sir Creek. The most shocking was an attempted kamikaze drone strike on the Golden Temple in Amritsar. 

Other targets included Bathinda military station, radar installations, and civilian infrastructure in Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir. Experts believe the offensive was designed to probe India’s air defence systems and gather intelligence on response time and tactical vulnerabilities using coordinated drone swarms.

Now, in the wake of those attacks, the revelation that the same drone manufacturer is embedded in Indian infrastructure projects has sparked outrage. Madhya Pradesh Cabinet Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya has ordered a full-fledged probe into Asisguard’s role and warned of immediate action. 

“If it is found that the company is directly or indirectly associated with anti-India elements or that its products have been used against India’s security, then the contract with the company will be terminated,” he said. 

“Anyone who stands against India’s sovereignty, regardless of who they are, will not be met with any sympathy or support. That is unacceptable.”

The controversy mirrors the ongoing fallout with Celebi Airport Services, whose security clearance was revoked on May 15 after Turkey publicly backed Pakistan during Operation Sindoor and the Pahalgam terror attack. 

Celebi’s ground handling operations at nine major airports—including Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru—were immediately reassigned to Indian firms. Over 10,000 employees were transitioned, and the company’s petition for relief was rejected by the Delhi High Court with a firm “Better safe than sorry” response.