Four Stars of Destiny: Police probe as Publisher clarifies Rahul Gandhi’s claim

The controversy over former Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane’s memoir, Four Stars of Destiny , deepened on Tuesday after publisher Penguin Random House India (PRHI) clarified that an announced or pre-ordered book should not be confused with a published one.

The clarification came after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi cited a 2023 social media post by Gen. Naravane stating that the book was “available now,” questioning the publisher’s claim that it had not yet been released.

In a statement titled “A quick guide to how book publishing works at Penguin Random House India,” PRHI said that an announced book, a pre-order listing and a published book are different stages of the publishing process. It explained that pre-order listings are standard practice and do not mean a book is available for sale. “A book is published only when it is available at retail channels for purchase,” the publisher said.

PRHI reiterated that it holds exclusive publishing rights to the memoir and that no copies print or digital have been published, distributed or sold . It warned that any version currently in circulation amounts to copyright infringement.

The Delhi Police has registered an FIR and assigned the case to the Special Cell to investigate the alleged leak of the unpublished manuscript , which is reported to be circulating in digital and printed formats.

The memoir is rumored to contain candid accounts of military decision-making and sensitive internal matters from Gen. Naravane’s tenure, triggering political unease over potential disclosures related to civil-military relations .

The issue entered Parliament after Rahul Gandhi was seen holding a purported copy of the book and sought to quote from it in the Lok Sabha since February 2 but was stopped as it has not been officially published .

Speaking to reporters, Gandhi said either Gen. Naravane or the publisher was being untruthful. “Gen. Naravane tweeted in 2023 that the book was available. I believe the former Army chief ,” he said.

PRHI has urged that all unauthorized copies be withdrawn , while investigations continue to trace the source of the leak.