The Delhi Police Special Cell has questioned the team of Penguin Random House India over the alleged leak of former Army Chief MM Naravane's unpublished memoir, Four Stars of Destiny.
The case centres around a typeset PDF version of the book on social media and other online platforms before it received mandatory clearances and prior to formal publication.
Special Cell Questions Publisher
The Special Cell issued a formal notice to the publisher seeking clarification on how an unpublished manuscript entered digital space. The notice contained 15 specific questions. Members of the Penguin team responded to some of them and sought additional time for others. The Special Cell will now analyse the responses submitted.
A Special Cell team visited Penguin's Gurugram office on Tuesday. The questioning lasted approximately two hours. Investigators are examining internal processes within the publishing house to determine whether there was any lapse or deliberate act that led to the alleged leak.
A senior police officer said that the investigation is focused on ascertaining if this was a premeditated "conspiracy".
Investigators suspect that the book had entered international markets illegally, bypassing official protocol.
"Delhi Police Special Cell has issued a notice to Penguin Random House India. Through the notice, several questions have been asked and detailed responses have been sought, including how the unpublished manuscript was allegedly leaked," a police official said.
Scope Of Investigation
The FIR was registered on Monday after allegations surfaced regarding the unauthorised distribution of the manuscript.
Police said that online posts and media reports had claimed that a pre-print version of the book was being shared online, despite it not being granted the mandatory clearances required for publication.
During verification, investigators found that a PDF copy of a typeset book bearing the same title was available on certain websites.
"The document appeared to have been prepared by M/s Penguin Random House India Pvt Ltd. Additionally, some online marketing platforms were displaying the finished book cover, suggesting that the book was available for purchase," police said in a statement.
Another team is collecting details of social media platforms that allegedly hosted or shared the PDF. Those platforms may be called for scrutiny in the coming days.
Political Row Intensifies
The controversy surrounding the memoir intensified after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi read out excerpts from the book in the Lok Sabha, triggering a political flashpoint.
Speaking to reporters in the Parliament House complex, Rahul Gandhi cited a 2023 post by General Naravane on X, formerly Twitter, in which the former Army chief wrote: "Hello friends. My book is available now. Just follow the link. Happy reading. Jai Hind."
"This is the tweet Mr Naravane has made," Gandhi said. "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."
"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," he added.
Rahul Gandhi was seen flashing what he described as a copy of the book in the Parliament complex last week. He had sought to cite excerpts from the memoir in the Lok Sabha since 2 February but was stopped on the grounds that the book had not yet been published.
Publisher's Clarification
In response to the controversy, Penguin Random House India issued multiple statements clarifying its position.
In a post on X, the publisher said: "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."
On Monday, the publisher said it holds the exclusive publishing rights to General Naravane's memoir and reiterated that the book has not yet been published.
On Tuesday, under the heading "A quick guide to how book publishing works at Penguin Random House India," the company sought to explain distinctions within the publishing process.
"An announced book, a book available for pre-order, and a published book are not the same thing," the statement read.
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