Who is Major Rishabh Singh Sambyal? Why did the “national crushed” army officer leave at 30? Details of his career | Today’s news
Major Rishabh Singh Sambyal, who was nicknamed the ‘national crush’, has announced his early retirement after serving in the army for 12 years. His retirement left several disheartened and deepened the intrigue surrounding his career and life.
Sambyal, who served as President Droupadi Murma’s Aide-de-Camp (ADC) — a protocol officer working directly for a high-ranking official — retired at the age of 30.
Education and career of Rishabh Singh Sambyal
He passed the National Defense Academy (NDA) examination in 2013 and joined the 133rd NDA course in 2014. In 2017, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations and Affairs. In the same year, he joined the Indian Military Academy where he studied military studies and defense management.
During his service, he led the Jat Regiment contingent in the Republic Day Parade 2021 and won the prestigious Best Marching Contingent Trophy. A distinguished ex-army officer, he served with the elite 4 Para special forces known as ‘Daggers’ and even earned the Balidaan badge, an honor achieved by only a small fraction of volunteers.
Rooted in military tradition, Major Rishabh Singh Sambyal hails from a Dogra Rajput family of Jammu and Kashmir. The former ADC served in the Indian Army for a total of 12 years, rising from Lieutenant and Captain to Major before taking up the post of Aide-de-Camp. According to his LinkedIn profile, in March 2023 he was selected for one of the most prestigious and discreet assignments in the armed forces – the presidential ADC.
Why did Rishabh Singh Sambyal retire?
The SSB Crack report suggested that he took early retirement due to personal and family reasons, citing an Instagram Live video. “There are situations and instances in everyone’s life that change your life forever,” he said, while revealing that there are no immediate plans to get married.
How the security of President Draupadi Murma is ensured
In one of the podcasts, Raj Shamani Sambyal spoke at length about the vigilance needed to ensure the safety of the President of India.
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 the area extending up to 1 km around the President is kept disinfected, meaning no weapons, metals or other dangerous materials are allowed.
Daily duties
Sambyal also explained his day-to-day duties as the person closest 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.
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”.
