Naravane confirms memoir unpublished amid Delhi Police FIR

Amid a growing political storm in Parliament over his book Four Stars of Destiny, former Army Chief Gen. M. M. On Tuesday (February 10, 2026), Naravane confirmed that his publisher has not officially published the memoir.

Penguin Random House India (PRHI), which holds the sole publishing rights to the book, stated that it has not released the memoir in any format. “Penguin Random House India has not published, distributed, sold, or otherwise made any copies of the book — in print or digital form — available to the public,” the publisher said in a statement.

Gen. Naravane shared PRHI’s statement on social media and wrote, “This is the status of the book,” reaffirming that the memoir remains unpublished. The clarification came after Delhi Police registered an FIR over the alleged illegal circulation of the unpublished manuscript in digital and other formats.

Contradicts Rahul Gandhi’s Remarks

Gen. Naravane issued the clarification after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi cited a December 2023 social media post by the former Army Chief, in which he had described the book as “available now.” Mr. Gandhi used that post to challenge the publisher’s claim that it had not yet published the memoir..

The copy referenced by Mr. Gandhi reportedly includes portions detailing the 2020 Galwan clash, the military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, and the government’s Agniveer scheme. The excerpts suggest differences over certain government policies. The Opposition has particularly targeted the government over an account of the August 2020 standoff with the PLA, during which Gen. Naravane allegedly waited for instructions from the government but did not receive clear orders.

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FIR filed over alleged illegal circulation Naravane backs publisher’s stand

After Mr. Gandhi made the remarks, PRHI clarified that readers should not interpret an announcement about a book or the opening of pre-orders as its formal publication.

Neither PRHI nor Gen. Naravane explained how Mr. Gandhi obtained the unpublished manuscript or whether they had printed a hard copy without distributing it. The book has reportedly not yet received clearance from the Ministry of Defence.

In its statement, PRHI warned that any copies of the book currently in circulation — whether in print, digital, PDF, or any other format, online or offline — constitute copyright infringement. The publisher said it would pursue all legal remedies against any unauthorized dissemination of the manuscript and issued the statement to formally place its position on record.

The controversy intensified last week after Rahul Gandhi was seen holding what he described as a copy of the book within the Parliament complex, triggering political and legal scrutiny over the memoir’s publication status and circulation.

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