Several security protocols are maintained when it comes to the safety of the President of India. Talking about it, President ‘s ex-Aide-de-Camp (ADC) opened up about the gruelling training that one has to go through to prepare oneself. Sambyal recently announced his premature retirement after serving 12 years in the armed forces.
Rishabh Singh Sambyal appeared in an episode of Raj Shamani’s podcast recently. In the show, he opened up about rules and responsibilities as the ADC to ensure the safety of the .
The ex-ADC shared why no one is allowed to touch the feet of the President or shake their hands. “You don’t know the intentions of the individual,” said Sambyal. He added, “How can you trust the person who is on the other side?” He went on to share that he was even concerned about the glass from which she would have water. “You don’t know who has kept it there. You don’t know if something is there…”
He explained that up to a 1 km area around the President is kept sanitised, which means no arms, metal, and other dangerous materials.
When asked whether he and other ADCs train themselves to become more alert, Sambyal shared how they do it. “During a probation, so you’re roughly carrying around 80 to 70 kgs on yourself. You’re deprived of water, you’re deprived of food, and you’re deprived of sleep for 30 to 40 days,” he said.
“And then, you are made to take a walk, roughly around a kilometre in a circular route. While you’re doing this, in between random places, there are things kept, say for example, we keep a helmet behind a tree, and when that finishes, there’s a test: what did you observe? That is how we train,” he added.
Rishabh Sambyal also explained his everyday duties as the closest person to the President. “Everything. I would say presidential requirements, which can be official or unofficial. So we look after everything. Say, for example, the President wishes to speak to the . She will call us, tell us that she wants to speak to the Prime Minister. So we will call up their people, I will speak to the Prime Minister, he is there…then she speaks,” he explained.
During the conversation, Sambyal also discussed his bond with the President. He shared that meeting President Droupadi Murmu for the first time felt like “my mother was standing in front of me.”
“Since 2014, I’ve never lived with my mom. I always used to go back home for a couple of days, live with her and then again bye-bye for the next six or seven months, and then see her after six months.”
The former ADC spent three years with the president. “The nature she has was very homely. And I just built a connection. And the warmth which she showed upon us, to me and to all the ADCs, was wonderful. And it used to make me miss my mom,” he added.
Currently, Major Navya Shekhawat serves as an Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to President Droupadi Murmu, becoming the first-ever woman officer to hold the rank.
