Delhi Police To Probe How General Naravane's Book 'Four Stars of Destiny' Leaked

New Delhi: Days after the furore in Parliament with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi attempting to quote from former Army Chief General Manoj Naravane's unpublished memoir, the Delhi Police have now registered a case with the Special Cell over the alleged leak of the pre-print copy of the book. The Special Cell has now taken up the investigation.

The book ‘Four Stars of Destiny’ has not yet received clearance from the competent authorities in the country's military establishment, as it claims to reveal some crucial operational detail of the armed forces during General Naravane's tenure.

What Has The Cops Uncovered

Reports indicate that the Delhi Police have come across information circulating across various online social media platforms and news portals that claim that the pre-print copy of Naravane's book is available online. 

The police have also found a PDF version of the book, which seems to be prepared by Penguin Random House India Pvt. Limited, available on certain websites. Some online platforms were also seen to be displaying the book cover, as if the book was open for sale.

The Book Launch Paused

Four Stars of Destiny, General MM Naravane's memoir, was all set for release in 2024. Prominent bookstores across the country had started taking pre-orders and readers had also pre-booked copies of it. However, the Center put a halt to its release and the book has remained unpublished ever since.

To everyone's surprise, a hardback copy of the book surfaced in front of national media, when Rahul Gandhi waved it, in front of the Parliament, when he was lodging his protest for not being allowed to quote from it in the Lok Sabha by the Speaker.

The Political Messaging by Rahul Gandhi

Last week, speaking to reporters on the Parliament premises, Rahul Gandhi said he was prepared to personally hand over General Naravane's book to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha, emphasising that the contents of the book reveal how the Centre responded during the Ladakh crisis.

"Every youngster in India should see that this book exists. This is Mr Naravane's book. He has given an entire account of Ladakh in this book. I have been told that I cannot quote this book," he said.

Rahul Gandhi went on to describe what he said was the central episode highlighted in the book, revolving around the movement of Chinese troops and tanks in the Kailash Ridge area. Gandhi elaborated that when Chinese tanks reached the Kailash Ridge, General Naravane contacted Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to seek directions on how to respond.

"The main line is what the Prime Minister said - 'jo uchit samjho wo karo'. When the former Chief of Army Staff General Naravane called up Rajnath Singh ji and said that Chinese tanks have reached the Kailash Ridge, so what should we do? First, Rajnath Singh did not respond to him," Rahul Gandhi said. 

He further claimed that General Naravane also reached out to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, the National Security Advisor, and again to the Defence Minister, but did not receive a clear response initially. 

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