Why is Naravane's memoir stuck? Former General explains three-stage Army book vetting

Former General KJS Dhillon on Monday explained how the Army clears books that deal with operational matters - and suggested that former Army chief General MM Naravane's memoir may have run into trouble if the manuscript was not formally sent for approval or contained details that could raise national security concerns.

Dhillon's explanation comes amid fresh attention on Naravane's unpublished memoir after a row in the Lok Sabha, where Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi attempted to quote from the yet-to-be-published book. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, along with other BJP members, objected, accusing Gandhi of misleading the House.

In an interview with India Today, Dhillon said any serving or retired officer writing about operations must submit the manuscript to Army Headquarters for clearance, and that the review process typically follows three routes depending on the content.

"If any serving or retired officer wants to publish a book that contains operational matters. My first book - Kitne Ghazi Aaye Kitne Ghazi Gaye - contains a complete domain of the Kashmir issue, starting from 1989 right up to Palwama, Balakot air strikes, and abrogation of Article 370. After having written the book, I submitted the script to the army headquarters for their approval," he said.

Dhillon explained that once a manuscript is submitted, the reviewing authority can take one of three decisions. "There are three options that are there when a book manuscript is submitted to the army headquarters for approval. One is, they go through the manuscript, they find nothing wrong with it. (If) there is nothing that is against the military reputation or is unverified or is giving out confidential operational details. So they approve the manuscript as it is," he said.

"The second is, they interact with the author and they tell him we have objections on this and this aspect, line by line, paragraph, and the author either explains his point of view or he agrees to delete that line which is not compatible with both parties. Most of the time, author give their explanation and say I'll amplify this line. So there it gets resolved," he added.

Dhillon said the third option is invoked when the manuscript is seen as carrying serious operational sensitivity. "Third is if there are some serious problems with the book, that means, you are giving out some operational details which may jeopardise the national security or operational plans then the clearance is withheld. Unless the author agrees to delete those chapters or paragraphs or lines," he said.

When asked directly why Naravane's book has not been published, Dhillon said he could only share what he had heard. He stressed that the details could be verified only by Naravane or the publisher. "My first book was on Kashmir. My second book was on military leadership ethos. Third book was an Operation Sindoor, within 3 months of the operation having concluded. We interacted with the army headquarters 30-40 times and a few lines were deleted, a few lines were added, and finally, I got clearance for writing on Operation Sindoor. So there is no problem in getting a clearance if you're not violating any norms," he said.

"Gen Naravane was a former chief. He wrote as a former chief, and the book was to be published in 2024. The pre-orders were already on various online sites," Dhillon said. "As per my information, I may be wrong, Naravane's manuscript did not go up for clearance from the army headquarters or the ministry of defense. Now, this is a point which only Naravane can verify or the publisher can verify," he said.

Dhillon added that if the manuscript carries operational details without formal approval, publication may not be permitted. "But if the book has not been approved by the military authorities and it contains operational details which can jeopardise the national security or the operational plans, then I'm afraid, such a manuscript I don't think, it can be allowed to be published, but the details can only be verified from Naravane or the publisher," he said.

Naravane's memoir Four Stars of Destiny has been pending central government approval for more than a year. Responding to a question at the Khushwant Singh Literature Festival in October 2025 on why the book had not been released, Naravane had said, "My job was to write the book and give it to the publishers. It was the publishers who were to get the permission from the MoD. They gave it (the book) to them. It is under review. It is still under review for more than a year now."