Gen Naravane’s memoir, at heart of Rahul vs Modi govt over China, leaked in PDF format; Delhi police register FIR| India News

The police in Delhi have started an investigation into the circulation of a soft copy (in PDF format) of the unpublished autobiography of former army chief Gen MM Naravane, which has been at the centre of a row between Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and the BJP-led NDA government in Parliament and outside.

A spokesperson said, “Delhi Police took cognizance of information found on various online social media platforms and news forums which claimed that a pre-print copy of the book ‘Four Stars of Destiny’ is being circulated.”

The necessary clearance for publication of this book is yet to be received from the relevant authorities, they added.

“Upon verification, it was found that a PDF copy of a type-set book with the same title, and apparently prepared by M/s Penguin Random House India Pvt. Limited, is available on certain websites and, also, some online marketing platforms have displayed the finished book cover as if it is available for purchase,” the spokesperson further said.

“In order to carryout a thorough investigation into this purported leak/breach of a yet to be approved publication, a case has been registered with the Special Cell and investigation is being taken up,” they also said. It was not immediately clear what sections of law it would attract.

Also read | ‘By the way’: When Gen Naravane explained why he wrote memoir ‘Four Stars of Destiny’

This FIR comes a couple of days after Rahul Gandhi held up a physical copy of the book on Parliament premises, as he doubled down on his claim that the Modi government mishandled the border dispute with China.

Rahul Gandhi wants to cite excerpts from the book in the Lok Sabha since February 2, but has been stopped as it is not published yet.

He asserted that he wanted only to quote from a magazine article that carried excerpts from this book. But he could not, as the Lok Sabha speaker and the ruling BJP-led NDA cited rules against such quoting.

Last Wednesday, on the third consecutive day of the controversy, he brought a printed version of the book — which is currently pending for approval with the Ministry of Defence — to the Parliament premises, and flashed it to cameras.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh has asserted in the Lok Sabha, “I am confident, this book has never been published.”

That did not stop Rahul Gandhi from creating a dramatic moment on Wednesday, with a copy in hand. “See, it exists — the book the government says does not,” he said.

Also read | ‘Here’s what Gen Naravane wrote on PM’: Rahul flashes copy of ex-army chief’s book that ‘govt said doesn’t exist’

Gen Naravane has not spoken on the matter so far, though he has in the past confirmed that the book is pending for MoD approval.

Rahul Gandhi claimed the former army chief wrote that when he informed Rajnath Singh and other leaders, including NSA Ajit Doval, about “Chinese tanks approaching”, he got no direct reply for a long time. “And then he writes that the PM’s message conveyed to him was, ‘Jo uchit samjho, woh karo’ (‘Do what you think is right’)… This means Narendra Modi ji did not fulfil his responsibility; effectively telling the army chief to handle it as he could not decide,” the Congress leader said, speaking in Hindi.

“Naravane ji has clearly said in this book, that he felt alone and was abandoned by the entire establishment,” Rahul Gandhi further claimed.

“This is the very truth that I am being stopped from speaking in Parliament. The country is asking questions, and the government is running away from answering,” Rahul Gandhi wrote on X.

Also read | Amid Rahul Gandhi’s Naravane memoir demand, use of ‘yaar’ adds fuel to fire in Lok Sabha

Gandhi’s insistence on quoting a part about the 2020 border tensions with China from the unpublished book, via excerpts mentioned in The Caravan magazine, led to a government uproar. This, among other issues, has stalled the Lok Sabha since last Monday, February 2, when Parliament took up for discussion the Motion of Thanks to the Presidential Address for the Budget Session.

In the Lok Sabha, Rajnath and other leaders asserted that quoting from a book that’s not been published is not just against Parliament’s rules but also “against national interest” and “harms national security”.

Rajnath even asked rhetorically why the writer of the claimed book (Gen Naravane) “did not go to court” over the pending approval “if the facts in it are right”.

Home minister Amit Shah and other BJP MPs also repeatedly said the book was “never published”. Speaker Om Birla agreed with their contention.

“(Rahul Gandhi) should present the book that he is claiming to quote from. I want to see it; this House wants to see it,” Rajnath Singh said.

The PDF version of the book is since being shared over WhatsApp and other online platforms.

It was supposed to be published in April 2024, as per pre-order announcements made in late 2023 by the publisher, Penguin.

Amazon and Flipkart till earlier this week had listings that said: “Currently unavailable. We don’t know when or if this item will be back in stock.”

The former army chief was asked about this book in October 2025 at a literature festival in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh.

“My job was to write the book and give it to the publishers. It is for the publishers to get permission from the MoD (Ministry of Defence). They have given it to them, and it is still under review,” he said.

He added that it’s been under review “for more than a year now”, as of October 2025.

“So it’s not for me, it’s beyond; not for me to actually follow up,” Gen Naravane added, “The ball is in the publisher’s and the MoD’s court. But I enjoyed writing the book, for better or for worse, and that’s that… It is for the MoD to give permission as and when they deem fit.”

It is considered standard practice for books by former senior military officials to undergo scrutiny to check for sensitive material, but General Naravane’s book drew controversy for reportedly revealing discussions on issues such as the Agnipath scheme and the Galwan clash in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a fight with the Chinese.

Gen MM Naravane served as India’s Chief of Army Staff from December 2019 to April 2022.

The book’s Amazon and Flipkart listings said it has 448 pages. The description read: “From his fi­rst encounter with the Chinese as a young officer in Sikkim to dealing with them in Galwan when he was Chief, from daily incidents of fi­ring across the LC to implementing a ceasefi­re with Pakistan, General Naravane takes us through his distinguished career spanning over four decades that saw him serve in all corners of the country.”