Delhi Police issues notice to Penguin India over Gen Naravane’s memoir
New Delhi: The Delhi Police Special Cell has issued a notice to Penguin Random House India, seeking clarification on the publication status of former Army Chief Gen. MM Naravane’s memoir, Four Stars of Destiny, officials confirmed to ANI on Wednesday.
The notice comes amid a political row triggered by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who recently claimed that the book was already available for sale online and sought to quote from it in the Lok Sabha.
Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Rahul Gandhi cited Gen. Naravane’s 2023 X post, saying, "Hello friends, my book is available now. Just follow the link. Happy Reading, Jai Hind. This is the tweet Mr Naravane made. Either he is lying, which I don't believe, or the Penguin (publisher) is lying. Both cannot be telling the truth. Penguin says the book has not been published. But the book is available on Amazon. Gen. Naravane has tweeted, 'Please buy my book' in 2023. I believe Naravane ji over Penguin. Do you believe Penguin over Naravane ji? I believe Naravane ji has made certain statements in his book which are inconvenient for the Government of India and the Prime Minister. Obviously, you have to decide if Penguin or the former Army chief is telling the truth."
Responding to the controversy, Gen. Naravane clarified on Tuesday that his memoir has not yet been published, backing Penguin Random House India’s statement. He shared a post on X stating:
"This is the status of the book."
Penguin Random House India also issued a fresh statement in response to Rahul Gandhi’s allegation, emphasising that while the book had been announced and listed for pre-order, it had not entered publication, distribution, or sale. The publisher added that any circulating copies are unauthorised and constitute copyright infringement.
"A book is considered published only when it is available for purchase across retail channels," the statement said. "Pre-order is a standard publishing practice. It allows readers and retailers to place advance orders. The book is not yet published or available."
The issue first gained national attention when Rahul Gandhi attempted to quote from a pre-print version of Gen. Naravane’s memoir during his speech on the motion of thanks to the President’s Address in the Lok Sabha last week. The treasury benches strongly opposed his remarks, and the Speaker ruled that the Leader of the Opposition could not quote unpublished literature.