"BMW Is for the PM, Maruti is Mine": Manmohan Singh's Former Bodyguard

Asim Arun, a former Indian Police Service officer and ex-chief of the Special Protection Group (SPG) during Manmohan Singh's tenure as Prime Minister, shared a heartfelt memory of the late leader’s attachment to his personal vehicle Maruti 800. 

Arun, now serving as an MLA from Uttar Pradesh's Kannauj Sadar, took to social media platform ‘X’ to reflect on the simplicity that defined Manmohan Singh, a day after his passing at AIIMS Delhi.

Recalling his time serving as Singh’s bodyguard from 2004, Arun said the modest Maruti 800 was the only car the former Prime Minister owned, despite the presence of more luxurious vehicles.

He wrote, “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 do not like to travel in this car, my car is this one (Maruti).”

Arun, who led the close protection team as the Assistant Inspector General, added in his post, “I served as his bodyguard for nearly three years starting in 2004. The Special Protection Group 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.”

Despite being surrounded by official vehicles, Singh would often glance at his Maruti 800 with nostalgia. Arun recalled, “When the carcade would pass the Maruti, he would always look at it with fondness as if reaffirming to himself, 'I am a middle-class person, and it is my duty to care for the common man. The BMW was for the PM, but for me, this Maruti is mine.'”

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

The late Prime Minister's deep attachment to his humble car reflected his grounded personality and connection to the common people.