Lok Sabha proceedings were thrown into disorder after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi was stopped from reading out from a book by former Army chief General MM Naravane. The book is yet to be published, however.
Officials said reading the memoir in Parliament would breach established rules, according to reports.
The memoir, Four Stars of Destiny, details Gen Naravane’s time as Army chief from 2019 to 2022. It describes his calls with the Defence Minister on the night of August 31, 2020, after Chinese PLA tanks and troops advanced near Rechin La on the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh.
The book was set for release in January 2024.
Reports at the time said the Army was reviewing it. Penguin Random House, the publisher, was told not to share excerpts or digital copies until the review ended. The Ministry of Defence was reportedly involved. No official update has been given by the publisher, Gen Naravane, or the MoD.
In December 2023, agencies published parts of the memoir. It described how Gen Naravane first received a call from Northern Command chief Lt Gen Y K Joshi. Joshi reported that four tanks with infantry were moving toward Rechin La and had fired an illuminating round with no effect. Naravane noted he had strict orders not to fire until clearance came from the highest level.
Gen Naravane then reportedly called the Defence Minister, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, NSA Ajit Doval, and Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat. He asked each for clear instructions. Later, Northern Command reported the tanks were less than a kilometre from the top. Naravane updated the Defence Minister at 10:25 pm.
Messages were exchanged over the hotline with PLA Major General Liu Lin. Liu suggested halting movements and that local commanders meet the next morning at 9:30 am.
Naravane reportedly relayed this to the Defence Minister and NSA Doval. At 10:10 pm, Northern Command reported the tanks were only 500 metres away. The Defence Minister told Naravane the decision was entirely military and left it to him to act.
Naravane said he felt as if he had been handed a “hot potato,” with the full responsibility now resting on his shoulders.
“I had hardly put the phone down when Jo rang up once again at 2210 hours. He said that the tanks had started moving up again and were now only about 500 metres away,” Gen Naravane writes.
“I conveyed the criticality of the situation to the RM (Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh), who said he would get back to me, which he did, by about 2230 hours.”
“He said that he had spoken to the PM and that it was purely a military decision. ‘Jo ucchit samjho woh karo’ (Do whatever you deem is appropriate). I had been handed a hot potato. With this carte blanche, the onus was now totally on me. I took a deep breath and sat silently for a few minutes. All was quiet save for the ticking of the wall clock.”
For background, the standoff between India and China began in April 2020 and lasted until October 2024. Both sides agreed to disengage at some legacy friction points. However, a full troop de-escalation in eastern Ladakh has not yet occurred.
Gen Naravane had earlier told a section of the media that he had enjoyed writing the book and that the satisfaction came from completing it. After a session at the Khushwant Singh Literature Festival in Kasauli in October 2025, he said his role was limited to writing the book and submitting it to the publisher. The publisher was responsible for obtaining MoD permission.
He added that the publisher and the MoD were in constant touch. Naravane said it was not for him to follow up and that the MoD would give permission when deemed fit.
Rules not clear
Current Armed Forces officers must get government approval before publishing material on service matters. For retired officers, the rules are less clear. Section 21 of the Army Rules, 1954, bars publishing service-related information without sanction.
While there are no specific rules for retired Army officers, retired personnel are expected to follow similar expectations, it is learnt. The Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972, amended in June 2021 by the Department of Personnel and Training, bar retired government servants who served in intelligence or security-related organisations from publishing related information without prior permission.
Unnamed officials told a media outlet that top service officers have access to confidential information and that documenting it in a book may require prior government sanction.
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