Former Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane has broken his silence amid rising controversy over his yet-to-be-published memoir Four Stars of Destiny. The clarification comes as reports surfaced about alleged unauthorised circulation of the book’s manuscript and a political dispute that has reached Parliament.
General Naravane shared a statement issued by Penguin Random House India, the official publisher of the memoir, on social media platform X. In the statement, the publishing house confirmed that it holds the exclusive rights to the book and clarified that the memoir has not been published in any format so far. The company stressed that no authorised print, digital, or PDF version of the book has been released or distributed to the public.
The publisher also warned that any version of the memoir currently in circulation, either online or offline, would be considered a violation of copyright. The statement urged immediate cessation of such distribution.
The controversy escalated after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen holding what he claimed to be a copy of the memoir inside the Parliament complex. Gandhi attempted to refer to excerpts from the book in the Lok Sabha earlier this month but was reportedly stopped because the memoir had not been officially published. He later stated that the book contains a detailed account of events during the 2020 India-China military standoff in Ladakh and insisted that the public should be aware of its existence.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police have registered an FIR and launched an investigation into the alleged illegal circulation of material from the unpublished memoir. Authorities are examining how the manuscript may have been accessed or distributed without approval.
The incident has triggered political debate as well as legal scrutiny over intellectual property rights and confidentiality related to sensitive military narratives. With investigations ongoing and the memoir yet to be officially released, the controversy continues to attract national attention.
