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| Delhi Police issues notice to Penguin India over unpublished memoir leak |
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police Special Cell has intensified its investigation into the alleged leak of former Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane’s unpublished memoir, Four Stars of Destiny. On Wednesday, authorities issued a formal notice to the book’s publisher, Penguin Random House India (PRHI), seeking a detailed explanation regarding the circulation of the manuscript.
The move comes days after the police registered an FIR under charges of criminal conspiracy and potential violations of the Official Secrets Act. The investigation was triggered by reports that a "typeset" PDF version of the book was being shared on social media and hosted on various unauthorized websites.
The Controversy
The memoir has become the center of a political firestorm after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi attempted to quote from it in Parliament. Gandhi highlighted excerpts concerning the 2020 India-China standoff in Ladakh, claiming the book suggests a lack of clear political direction during the crisis. The government and the Lok Sabha Speaker blocked the citations, arguing that the book had not yet received the mandatory security clearance from the Ministry of Defence.
Penguin’s Defense
In a statement, Penguin Random House India clarified that the book has not been formally published or distributed. “We hold the sole publishing rights… the book has not gone into publication. No copies—in print or digital form—have been published, distributed, or sold by us,” the publisher stated.
However, investigators are questioning why the book was listed for "pre-order" on major platforms like Amazon and why the publisher did not report the leak immediately. Reports suggest that investigators are also tracking the digital footprint of the leaked PDF, which reportedly first appeared on domains associated with British Ocean territories.
Current Status
Delhi Police officials questioned PRHI representatives on Thursday. The publishers have reportedly sought more time to answer specific queries regarding how a finished, typeset version of the manuscript entered the public domain without official clearance.
