Delhi Police Special Cell sends notice to Penguin India amid Gen Naravane memoir row

Delhi Police’s Special Cell has issued a notice to Penguin Random House India, seeking responses to multiple questions amid an escalating controversy over the unpublished memoir of former Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane, according to police.

According to news agency ANI citing officials in the know, Delhi Police has further added sections related to criminal conspiracy in the FIR filed in connection with the alleged leak of the unpublished memoirs of former Army Chief General MM Naravane.

The notice, issued on Wednesday, comes as competing claims over the status of the book — and the circulation of what police allege are unauthorised versions — have drawn the publisher, the former Army chief and senior political figures into a widening public dispute.

Police seek answers from publisher as questions grow over leaked manuscript

Delhi Police said the Special Cell has formally approached Penguin India through a notice, requesting clarifications and replies.

“Delhi Police Special Cell has issued a notice to Penguin India. Through the notice, several questions have been asked, and responses have been sought,” said Delhi Police.

The development follows reports that the manuscript of Naravane’s memoir, Four Stars of Destiny, may have been illegally circulated in digital and other formats — a claim that has already led to an FIR.

Naravane posts publisher’s statement: “This is the status of the book”

Naravane has publicly backed the publisher’s position, sharing its statement on X and adding a short message of his own.

“This is the status of the book,” Naravane wrote.

The post amplified Penguin Random House India’s assertion that the memoir has not been formally published in any form.

Penguin says book has not gone into publication, warns of copyright infringement

In a statement issued on Monday, Penguin Random House India said it holds exclusive publishing rights to the memoir and insisted that no copies have been released to the public.

"In light of recent public discourse and media reporting, 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. No copies of the book -- in print or digital form -- have been published, distributed, sold, or otherwise made available to the public by Penguin Random House India," the publisher said in its statement.

The publisher also warned that any version currently in circulation — whether in print, PDF or online — would amount to copyright infringement.

Rahul Gandhi cites Naravane’s 2023 post: “My book is available now”

The controversy has also acquired a political edge, after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi questioned Penguin’s position and cited a December 2023 social media post from Naravane.

Speaking to reporters, Gandhi said he believed the former Army chief over the publisher and argued that the two accounts could not both be accurate.

Speaking with reporters in the Parliament House complex, Gandhi read out Naravane's social media post on X (then Twitter), which said, "Hello friends. My book is available now. Just follow the link. Happy reading. Jai Hind."

"This is the tweet Mr Naravane has made. The point I am making is either Mr Naravane is lying, and I believe the (former) Army chief, I don't think he will lie, or Penguin is lying. Both cannot be telling the truth," the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said.

"Penguin is saying the book is not published. The book is available on Amazon. Gen Naravane has tweeted, as I just read to you, that please buy my book. He tweeted this in 2023. Do you believe Penguin over Mr Naravane? I believe Mr Naravane," Gandhi said.

Penguin responds: pre-order and publication are not the same

After Gandhi’s remarks, Penguin issued a separate clarification seeking to distinguish between announcement, pre-order availability and publication.

In its statement under the heading "A quick guide to how book publishing works at Penguin Random House India", the publisher said, "An announced book, a book available for pre-order, and a published book are not the same thing."

The publisher’s response suggested that promotional messaging or retailer listings could exist even if the book had not entered formal publication.

Congress claims memoir contains “inconvenient” material for govt

Rahul Gandhi also alleged that the memoir includes statements that would be politically uncomfortable for the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, without specifying what passages he was referring to.

The Congress leader also said that Naravane has made certain statements in the book that are "inconvenient" for the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Obviously, you have to decide whether Penguin is telling the truth or the (former) Army chief is telling the truth. That is the issue," he added.