‘I said he should die’: One regret that still haunts Lucky Bisht | Monday Talk with Anurag Sason
Interview with Lucky Bisht: From protecting India’s powerful political leaders to working undercover as a spy, Lucky Bisht‘s journey is nothing short of extraordinary. He is a former National Security Guard (NSG) commando and served as the personal bodyguard to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his tenure as chief minister of Gujarat. However, his career was not without turbulence – from guarding high-profile figures to serving 4 years in jail – he has witnessed everything!
In an exclusive interview with journalist Anurag Sason, he talked at length about a wide range of things he has gone through!
Guarding Modi, jailed for 4 years, and life as a spy: Lucky Bisht tells his story
Q1) Have you ever thought of joining politics?
Lucky Bisht: I have never thought of joining politics. Not even in the future. I personally believe that it is not necessary that only by entering politics you can do good for society. Even if you are a common individual, you can do a lot for society. The only condition is that you must have public support.
Q2) Are there any special moments you can remember when you were the bodyguard of Narendra Modi?
Lucky Bisht: When Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat, he had a lot of public dealings. For example, during Rakhi, a large number of women used to come and meet him. So in situations like these, keeping him safe used to be a very challenging task.
Another incident I recall is that during one of the days in his security duty, we had to go to Ahmedabad and return within an hour.
However, suddenly, there was a change of plan! I was with him continuously for 17 days, during which I traveled across India with just one set of clothes.
One thing I want to mention is that when I was in his security, I never saw him taking leave, even for a single day.
Q3) You have provided security to high-profile people. With whom did you face the biggest challenge?
Interview with Lucky Bisht: Well, many politicians do not want to upset the public. For example, if someone from the public wants to meet a politician, he says, “Let them come”.
If the bodyguard denies, the person he is providing security to gets angry. For security personnel, it becomes a significant challenge to ensure that they do not upset the person they are providing security to, while also keeping them safe.
Additionally, many politicians prefer security to allow a person familiar to them to sit in the same car. However, it is not allowed.
Once, I denied Sukhbir Singh Badal, the deputy CM of Punjab, from sitting in the same car with Parkash Singh Badal, the CM of Punjab.
However, I was transferred for doing my duty and sent to Assam. Sometimes, this becomes a challenge for the security personnel because many politicians take it as a matter of ego.
Q4) You were reportedly jailed for a time – can you talk about what happened?
Lucky Bisht: At that time, I was the bodyguard of Mr LK Advani. I went home on emergency leave. During the same time, two gangsters were shot dead. They were both killed by a single bullet. So the government concluded that I was involved in this crime. And I was arrested at my home and sent to jail. During the four-year jail term, I was transferred to 11 jails, and my bail plea was rejected 6-7 times. However, due to a lack of evidence against me, I was acquitted by the court.
That was the hardest time of my life.
Q5) You’ve had one of the most secretive careers in India’s security history. What can you share about your journey from joining the NSG to becoming a spy?
Lucky Bisht: I have always tried to upgrade myself. Not only did I want to work on borders, but I also wanted to enter enemy lines and bring that information, which could benefit my country. I have always seen spy life as an adventure. I have never thought about results because if you think about results, you will not be able to do your work properly.
Q6) How does Lucky Bisht handle fear when facing life-or-death situations?
Lucky Bisht: We all have to die. Death is something that relieves you from all the problems. During operations, I have always thought that if something goes wrong, the worst that can happen is that I will die.
So I have never thought about fear.
Q7) Can you recall a mission that tested your mental resilience the most?
Interview with Lucky Bisht: Every mission tests your mental resilience. However, once I was on a mission, and after completing that, when I came back, within two hours, I was again called for another mission by the commander. Based on the input, we were informed that five militants were at a specific location, and we had to go there.
I was very angry with the commander because I was very tired. Out of anger, I said this commander should die.
When we reached there, the militants were also firing at us. In the front was one of my colleagues, in the second row, I was positioned, and in the third row was my commander.
A burst from an AK-47 came, and a bullet hit the commander, and he died.
Till today, I have the guilt for saying that!
Q8) You predicted the fall of Nepal’s government, and exactly that happened! What is your next prediction?
Bangladesh: Yunus government won’t be able to hold elections in February: Lucky Bisht
Lucky Bisht: These are not predictions, but are based on the ground inputs.
In Bangladesh, the Muhammad Yunus government has promised that it will hold elections in February next year. However, based on my experience, I can say that the election will not happen. The government will not be able to hold that poll. It will be postponed.
Q9) Was the 2025 Pahalgam attack a result of an intelligence failure?
Lucky Bisht: I will not say that it was not an intelligence failure. But I will say one more thing – Intelligence agencies provide information 365 days a year.
With 364 information, we save our country, and sometimes we fail in one input. And the world only talks about that one failed input. Everyone talks about that one failed input, while we don’t reveal the other 364 things we worked on, all of which were successful.
If you don’t know about our operations, that does not mean we are not working.
Q10) Your book is described as “fiction inspired by true events.” How much of it is really fiction?
Interview with Lucky Bisht: Only that part is fiction where the names are changed. The rest of everything is non-fiction.
Q11) How hard was it to transition back to civilian life after working in intelligence?
Lucky Bisht: It is not that after resigning, a spy stops working. The connections remain there. I still get information from those who are working for me and pass that sensitive information to my seniors. Network is always there!
Q12) What message do you want to give to the young generation?
Interview with Lucky Bisht: I only want to say one thing – if you are right, your home is right. If your home is right, your locality is right. If your locality is right, your district is right…your county is right!
People want to make their country better! If you become a good person, the country will automatically become better! Both are interrelated.
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About the author: Anurag Sason is an Indian journalist with experience in mainstream journalism. He has worked in newspaper, news agency, TV, news app (short video sharing app) and digital media. He tweets at @AnuragSason
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Disclaimer: The interview is exclusively for this website in personal capacity.