Former BDL CMD Siddharth Mishra under scrutiny over Rs 56.8-crore tender to family-linked firm

New Delhi: Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), the defence PSU that manufactures India’s anti-tank guided missiles, has invited a single bid from Aindri Defence Advisory for 300 optical sights worth ₹56.8 crore, citing urgency. The decision raised questions over procurement transparency after the company was founded by former BDL CMD Siddharth Mishra and his wife.

The tender marked a departure from the previous two years, when similar purchases went through competitive processes involving public-sector firms. India Optel Limited won both rounds in 2024 and 2025. This year, BDL invited only Aindri, which has cleared technical evaluation; its financial bid remains under assessment.

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The ownership and operational details added to the scrutiny. Mishra’s wife, Shambhavi Mishra, now holds 95% of Aindri, while company records cited by The Indian Express show no property or manufacturing plant. The newspaper also found the company’s listed Hyderabad office locked during a ground visit. These findings raised questions about the supplier’s capacity, but do not by themselves established wrongdoing.

BDL cited urgency to justify the single-tender route, which bypassed competitive bidding. However, the reported tender documents do not publicly explained why the requirement could not be anticipated or why competition was not pursued. The proposed supply also includes at least 15 years of technical support for maintenance, repair and overhaul—making supplier capability a significant consideration.

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BDL, Mishra and his wife did not responded to The Indian Express’s requests for comment, the report said. The central issue is therefore not simply the former CMD’s family connection, but whether the urgency, supplier selection and technical capability were adequately justified and independently scrutinised. Until the financial evaluation and procurement process are clarified, the allegations warrant scrutiny—not a presumption of fraud.

A ₹56.8-crore missile-component bid, issued without competition to a former BDL chief’s family-linked firm, demands transparent answers on urgency, supplier capability and safeguards against conflicts of interest.

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