Amid conflicting claims about the publication status of former Army Chief M.M. Naravane’s memoir, the Delhi Police issued a notice to Penguin Random House India (PRHI) on Wednesday, questioning the circulation of an unauthorised version of the book.
"Delhi Police Special Cell has issued a notice to Penguin India, posing several questions and seeking responses," a senior police officer said.
The issue took a political turn last week when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi raised the book, Four Stars of Destiny, in Parliament, using it to target the Narendra Modi government over its alleged content.
The police had filed an FIR on Monday regarding the alleged illegal distribution of the manuscript in digital and other formats, following reports on social media that a soft copy of the memoir was being shared.
In response, PRHI issued a statement later that day, clarifying that the book had not yet been published and warning against the unauthorised circulation of the manuscript.
“Penguin Random House India would like to clarify that we hold the sole publishing rights for the book Four Stars of Destiny, a memoir by General Manoj Mukund Naravane, former Chief of the Indian Army. We wish to make it clear that the book has not gone into publication,” the statement read.
However, Gandhi dismissed the publisher’s clarification, pointing out that the book was available online. “Either he (Naravane) is lying, which I don’t believe, or Penguin is lying. Both cannot be telling the truth,” Gandhi said in a rebuttal.
PRHI later issued a further statement on Tuesday, explaining that any announcement about the book or its availability for pre-order should not be construed as its official publication. "A book is published only when it is available at retail channels for purchase," the statement clarified, emphasising the publisher's commitment to transparency and clarity in its processes.
Naravane also backed the publisher's stance by sharing their statement on social media, which further fueled the political debate.
The BJP quickly seized on the opportunity, accusing Gandhi of presenting what they called a "fiction" to the public. BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi criticised Gandhi for attempting to mislead the Lok Sabha by presenting “lies and fiction” as fact.