Surat's InsideFPV Delivers 100 Combat Drones to Indian Army as Gujarat High Court Slams Demolition Scandal
Surat-based startup InsideFPV, founded in the same year as the 2020 Galwan clash that exposed India's dependence on imported military drones, delivered 100 combat units to the Indian Army in just sixty days and is now drawing national attention as a rare indigenous defence supplier built in Gujarat. On the legal front, the Gujarat High Court sharply rebuked the state government this week over a large-scale demolition drive in Surat's Nasirnagar neighbourhood, questioning whether any law exists in the country and demanding personal financial accountability from the city's Municipal Commissioner. Surat also saw its police deport 16 Bangladeshi nationals in an immigration sweep, while the city joined Gujarat-wide protests linked to the CJP's 'Sansad Chalo' march over exam paper leaks and the activism of Sonam Wangchuk.
🏢 InsideFPV, Founded After Galwan Clash, Delivers 100 Kamikaze and FPV Drones to Indian Army in 60 Days
InsideFPV, a Surat-based deep-tech defence startup, delivered 100 combat drones to the Indian Army in 60 days, according to a YourStory report published Monday, July 20, 2026. The company was founded in 2020 by Arth Chowdhary, Deyvant Bhardwaj, and Oshi Kumari—the same year as the Galwan Valley clash that exposed how much of India's frontline drone capability was imported rather than indigenous. The founders designed their systems specifically for India's harshest battlefield conditions, including temperatures dropping to minus 35 degrees Celsius. InsideFPV's core products include FPV kamikaze drones, interceptors, and navigation systems that remain operational even when GPS signals are jammed by an adversary. The kamikaze drones are single-use, exceed 250 kilometres per hour, and are engineered to be deployable by soldiers with minimal training in field conditions. CEO Arth Chowdhary said the systems were "engineered specifically for India's harshest deployment environments, functioning reliably in temperatures dropping to -35 degrees Celsius." The company describes itself as India's first plug-and-fly FPV drone maker. InsideFPV is currently at the pre-Series A stage and has raised approximately $1.8 million, with a Rs 6 crore round completed in January 2026. Its investors include GVFL as the lead, alongside Mumbai Angels, Inflection Point Ventures, Soonicorn Ventures, and DLabs. The company began with a consumer and education drone line before shifting focus to defence contracts. [7]
🗳️ Gujarat HC Slams Nasirnagar Demolition Drive, Says Municipal Commissioner Must Pay Victims from His Own Pocket
The Gujarat High Court delivered a scathing rebuke to the state government on Monday, July 20, 2026 over a large-scale demolition drive carried out in Surat's Nasirnagar area, with the bench openly questioning whether any law existed in the country, according to Gujarat Samachar. The division bench, led by Justice Nikhil Kariel, rejected the state government's affidavit outright, finding its account of the matter unconvincing. The court demanded direct accountability from the Surat Municipal Commissioner, stating that he deserved punishments far more severe than a simple removal from office and that he should personally compensate the victims of the demolition drive from his own funds rather than from public money. Gujarat Samachar reported that the court characterised the state's internal inquiry into the demolition as a "drama" staged to shield senior officials from consequences rather than a genuine investigation. The bench expressed the view that the state's handling of the Nasirnagar matter was creating an impression of official complicity in the demolition drive. The court rejected the excuses placed before it by the government and ordered a compliance report to be submitted. The Nasirnagar demolition had sparked legal challenges and drawn public attention to the conduct of Surat's civic administration, ultimately bringing the Municipal Commissioner's actions before the High Court for scrutiny. [8]
Surat Rural Police Deport 16 Bangladeshi Nationals, Including 12 Women and a Girl, in Immigration Crackdown
ETV Bharat reported on July 18, 2026 that Surat Rural Police deported 16 Bangladeshi nationals as part of a security drive targeting undocumented foreign nationals living in the Surat district. The group comprised 12 women, three men, and one girl, according to the ETV Bharat report. Police said the individuals had allegedly entered India illegally by crossing through the West Bengal border, the most commonly used land corridor for undocumented migrants travelling from Bangladesh into India. The deportations form part of a broader crackdown that Surat Rural Police launched against foreign nationals residing in the district without valid documentation. West Bengal's shared land border with Bangladesh makes it a primary entry point, and authorities in Gujarat have at intervals conducted sweeps to identify and deport undocumented individuals who have made their way from the border state to industrial centres such as Surat. ETV Bharat published the report at 8:51 PM IST on July 18, noting that the security drive by Surat Rural Police had resulted in the identification and deportation of the group. The composition of the deported group—twelve women, three men, and a girl—indicates the sweep reached across gender and age lines within the undocumented Bangladeshi community present in the area around Surat. [10]
🗳️ Protests Over Exam Paper Leaks and Sonam Wangchuk's 'Sansad Chalo' March Spread to Surat and Three Gujarat Cities
Protests erupted across Gujarat on Monday, July 20, 2026 in support of the CJP's 'Sansad Chalo' march, with demonstrations spreading to Surat, Ahmedabad, Junagadh, and Bhavnagar, according to Telangana Today. The report, sourced from PTI and published at 4:31 PM, noted that police detained several demonstrators across the affected cities. The protesters had gathered to voice opposition to recent exam paper leaks and to express solidarity with activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had become a prominent national face of the larger campaign. In Surat, as in the other Gujarat cities covered by the report, the local demonstrations were part of the broader Gujarat-wide spillover of the 'Sansad Chalo' movement, which aims to direct participants toward parliament in connection with the paper leak controversy. Telangana Today reported that police in Ahmedabad, Surat, Junagadh, and Bhavnagar took demonstrators into custody as the protests grew through the state on Monday. The exam paper leak issue has generated significant political mobilisation across India during the current parliamentary session, with the CJP's organisational effort drawing participants from student communities and civil society groups. Surat's inclusion in the Gujarat cities named by the PTI dispatch placed the city alongside Ahmedabad as a centre of civic activity tied to the national paper leak controversy. [5]
Sources: [7] YourStory.com · [8] GujaratSamachar English · [10] ETV Bharat · [5] Telangana Today