'BMW if for PM, my cars is Maruti 800': UP minister Asim Arun who served as Manmohan Singh's bodyguard remembers ex-PM

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh passed away on Thursday night, prompting expressions of sorrow from various political figures, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi. In response to his death, the central government has canceled all official events scheduled for Friday and declared a seven-day national mourning period. Amid this, a post by Yogi government's minister Asim Arun has gone viral, where he reminisces about his time as Singh's personal bodyguard.

In his social media post, Asim Arun shared, "I served as his bodyguard for nearly three years starting in 2004. The Special Protection Group (SPG) provides the closest security for the Prime Minister. I had the opportunity to lead the close protection team. As an Assistant Inspector General of the Close Protection Team, I was never far from the Prime Minister. If there was only one bodyguard allowed, it would be me. Therefore, my responsibility was to stay with him like a shadow."

Asim Arun also highlighted Singh's simplicity, stating, "Dr. Singh owned just one car, a Maruti 800, which would be parked behind the gleaming black BMWs at the PM House. He often told me, 'Asim, I don’t like traveling in this car; my vehicle is this one (the Maruti).' I would explain that this car is not for your luxury but has security features that the SPG required. However, whenever the convoy passed by the Maruti, he would gaze at it longingly as if reaffirming his identity as a middle-class person who cared for the common man. The expensive cars belonged to the Prime Minister; mine is this Maruti.'"
National Mourning for Former PM Manmohan Singh

मैं 2004 से लगभग तीन साल उनका बॉडी गार्ड रहा। एसपीजी में पीएम की सुरक्षा का सबसे अंदरुनी घेरा होता है - क्लोज़ प्रोटेक्शन टीम जिसका नेतृत्व करने का अवसर मुझे मिला था। एआईजी सीपीटी वो व्यक्ति है जो पीएम से कभी भी दूर नहीं रह सकता। यदि एक ही बॉडी गार्ड रह सकता है तो साथ यह बंदा… pic.twitter.com/468MO2Flxe

— Asim Arun (@asim_arun) December 26, 2024

Asim Arun is the first IPS officer trained as a Black Cat commando by the National Security Guard (NSG) in 2004. He has held significant positions as police chief in various districts including Tehri Garhwal, Balrampur, Hathras, Siddharthnagar, Aligarh, Gorakhpur, and Agra. His last posting was as Police Commissioner of Kanpur.