The publication of a book by a former Army chief, pending for over six months, and another book by another former Army chief scheduled for release on August 2nd, has also been halted. Publishers await responses from the Ministry of Defence in both cases. The books contain crucial information related to the Kargil War.

According to a report in The Indian Express on Thursday, the author N.C. Vij, who served as Army chief from 2002 to 2005, writes in “Alone in the Ring” that Indian intelligence agencies were “seriously unsuccessful” in detecting Pakistan’s military acquisitions before the Kargil War, which marks its 25th anniversary this month.

In his upcoming book to be published by Bloomsbury next week, General Vij, who served as the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) during the Kargil War, also writes that RAW (India’s foreign intelligence agency) “misjudged” the war concerns with Pakistan. Reviews of the book have been released, and Amazon indicated its launch around mid-July.

Book Launch Postponed

When contacted by The Indian Express, Krishna Chopra, Chief Editor of Bloomsbury, said, “A few days ago, officials from the Army headquarters had asked us to provide a review copy of the book. We have done that. We had invited guests for the book’s launch on August 2, but now it will be postponed.”

General Vij said, “Two days ago, someone from the Army had called me to submit the manuscript, which I have done. I retired 21 years ago, and how can secrets be kept for such a long time? It never occurred to me that I should submit my manuscript to the Army before its publication, as the events are very old.”

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Book Delays and Approval Issues

“It’s easy to say that General Vij’s book is excellent. It contains insightful comments from some of the finest Army chiefs, and we hope to launch it very soon,” said, but doing it is difficult.

The book ‘Four Stars of Destiny’ by General M.M. Naravane, who served as the Army Chief from 2019 to 2022, has been awaiting approval for more than six months. It includes undisclosed details about the 2020 border clashes with China and a critical review of the Agnivir plan.

According to sources, Penguin Random House, its publisher, will not set a release date this year. It is currently listed as “unavailable” on Amazon. Sources also revealed that after making some changes, the manuscript was returned by the Ministry of Defence, possibly delaying its release further.

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