Delhi Police Files FIR Over Leak Of General Naravane’s Unpublished Book
An investigation gathered pace after an unpublished military memoir linked to sensitive Ladakh operations surfaced online, prompting police action over a potential security breach and copyright violations. Image courtesy: RNA
As former Indian Army chief General MM Naravane’s unpublished book was circulated in its digital format, the Delhi Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) after they were alerted to social media posts in this regard.
The book ‘Four Stars of Destiny’ was yet to be published after the Indian government withheld permission to the publishers Penguin Random House India as the contents of the book related to the 2020 India-China military conflict in Ladakh, operations for which were led by General Naravane as Army chief.
India doesn’t permit its war histories to be published, as the 1962 India-China war related reports are still classified and not made public yet. The 2020-24 Ladakh conflict too comes under similar restrictions under the military laws, and no permission had been taken before the digital format of the unpublished book were circulated.
The Delhi Police is now doing a preliminary verification exercise to find out how a digital file of the manuscript for the book bearing the same title is now available on certain websites. The police said the digital copy of the file appears to be from the publishers, Penguin Random House India, though officials are yet to confirm its authenticity.
Meanwhile, Penguin Random House India, in a statement on X from its handle, said the book had not yet gone for publication and no copies, in print or digital form were published, distributed, sold, or otherwise to the general public by the company.
It said any copies of the book in circulation in any format constituted an infringement of its copyright and that such distribution and circulation must be ceased immediately. The publishing house also noted that it shall be exercising remedies available to it against the illegal and unauthorised dissemination of the book.
The Police, meanwhile, found the copies of the unpublished book, available on online marketplaces along with its cover, suggesting it was already available for sales and circulation.
Police said, they were treating the probe seriously, as it could be a security breach, apart from copyright violations. They said, a formal case was registered, and the investigation handed over to the Special Cell of Delhi Police. Probe teams would work on identifying the origin of the book script leak and those responsible for the distribution.
The police case came after India’s Leader of the Opposition and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attempted to raise the book’s contents inside Parliament, which was denied by the Lok Sabha Speaker, as the book itself was still unpublished.
