Delhi cops ask Penguin 15 questions over Naravane's memoir leak
What's the story
The Delhi Police Special Cell has questioned the team from Penguin India as part of its investigation into the leak of retired General Manoj Mukund Naravane's unpublished memoir, Four Stars of Destiny. The police suspect the leak was a coordinated attempt to circumvent Ministry of Defense clearance. They have added sections related to criminal conspiracy in the case and served a notice to Penguin Random House India, seeking answers regarding the alleged circulation of a pre-print version of Naravane's memoir.
Notice
Notice included 15 questions
According to NDTV, the notice included 15 questions. Members of the Penguin team responded to some of them and requested more time for others. The Special Cell will now review the responses received. On Tuesday, a team from the Special Cell paid a visit to Penguin's office in Gurugram, where the publisher was questioned for two hours. Investigators are looking into the publishing house's internal operations to see if there was a lapse or deliberate act that caused the leak.
Leak investigation
Investigators looking into leaked versions' ISBNs
The police probe is centered around the alleged sale or distribution of the pre-print copy in the US, Canada, UK, and Australia. Investigators said "the first leaks were allegedly uploaded on .io domain extensions that belong to the British Indian Ocean Territory." The police are also analyzing the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) visible on the leaked versions. An ISBN is a globally recognized unique identifier assigned to each edition and format of a book for cataloging, distribution, and sales.
Publisher's statement
Penguin clarifies that it holds the sole publishing rights
The 13-digit identifier (ISBN) is mandatory for commercial publishing and distribution, hinting that this book had entered a formal publishing system. Officials say its presence suggests that this version was not a raw manuscript or draft but a processed and publication-ready copy. Penguin has clarified that it holds the sole publishing rights and that no copies have been published or distributed. The publisher warned that any circulating versions infringe on its copyright and legal action may be pursued.
Controversy
Don't think the former Army chief will lie: Gandhi
The controversy surrounding the memoir intensified after Rahul Gandhi, who tried to read what he said were contents from the memoir in Parliament, pointed to an old tweet from 2023 by Naravane that said the book was available. "Either Naravane is lying or it is Penguin....I don't think the former Army chief will lie," Gandhi told reporters. He claimed that Naravane must have made certain statements in his book that are inconvenient for the Centre and the prime minister.