No foot touching, 1 km area disinfected: How President Droupadi Murma’s security is ensured, ex-Aide-de-Camp reveals | Today’s news
Several security protocols are followed when it comes to the security of the President of India. Speaking on this, President Droupadi Murmu’s former Aide-de-Camp (ADC) Rishabh Singh Sambyal opened up about the grueling training one has to go through to prepare. Sambyal recently announced his early retirement after serving 12 years in the armed forces.
Rishabh Singh Sambyal recently appeared on an episode of the Raj Shamani podcast. On the show, he opened up about the rules and duties as an ADC to ensure the safety of the President.
Why no one is allowed to shake hands or touch the feet of the president
The former ADC shared why no one is allowed to touch the President’s feet or shake his hand. “You don’t know the intentions of that individual,” Sambyal said. He added: “How can you trust the person on the other side?” He went on to say that he was even worried about the glass from which he would have water. “You don’t know who left it there. You don’t know if there’s anything there…”
He explained that up to 1 km area around the president is kept disinfected, which means no weapons, metals and other dangerous materials.
How ADCs are trained
When asked if he and other ADCs train themselves to be more vigilant, Sambyal shared how they do it. “During the trial period, so you’re carrying around 80 to 70 kg. You’re missing water, food and sleep for 30 to 40 days,” he said.
“And then you’re forced to go for a walk, about a kilometer around a circular route. While you’re doing that, things are stored between random places, let’s say we have a helmet behind a tree, and when it’s over there’s a test: what did you observe? That’s how we train,” he added.
Daily duties
Rishabh Sambyal also explained his day-to-day duties as the closest person to the President. “Everything. I would say presidential requests, which can be official or unofficial. So we take care of everything. Say, for example, the president wants to talk to the prime minister. He calls us, he tells us he wants to talk to the prime minister. So we call their people, I talk to the prime minister, he’s there … then he talks,” he explained.
Connection between President Murmu and the ADC
During the interview, Sambyal also discussed his relationship with the President. He shared that meeting President Droupadi Murmu was for the first time as if “my mother was standing in front of me”.
“I’ve never lived with my mum since 2014. I’ve always come home for a few days, live with her and then say goodbye for another six or seven months and then see her after six months.”
The former ADC spent three years with the President. “The nature that she has was very homely. And I just built a connection. And the warmth that she showed to us, to me and to all the ADCs, was amazing. And that made me miss my mom,” he added.
Major Navya Shekhawat is currently serving as Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to President Droupadi Murma, becoming the first ever woman to hold this rank.
