How did Naravane's unpublished memoir end up in Rahul Gandhi's hands? Controversy intensifies

NEW DELHI: Controversy is brewing over former Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane's controversial memoir 'Four Stars of Destiny'. Delhi Police suspect a conspiracy behind the leak of the unpublished version of the book. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's display of the hard copy of the book will also be investigated.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police registered a case against the circulation of unauthorised copies of the book on digital platforms. Following this, Penguin Books issued a statement saying that the book has not been released yet. The statement said that no edition of the book was released, either digitally or otherwise. The publishers warned of initiating legal action if engaged in copyright violation.

The controversy began when Rahul Gandhi brought a copy of the book to the Lok Sabha. The issue led to a heated debate in the Lok Sabha. This led to repeated disruptions and the suspension of eight MPs for the remainder of the Budget Session. Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had earlier said that the book was not available in its authorised form as it did not have clearance from the Defence Ministry. Under existing rules, former senior military officers need prior permission to publish memoirs containing confidential information.

The police said that information reached them regarding online versions of the book being shared illegally. Officials said that the PDF of the book prepared by the publisher was found on some websites. Advertisements for the sale of the book were also seen on some online platforms. A case has been registered with the Special Cell to conduct a thorough investigation into the leak or infringement of an unauthorised publication.