Kathmandu, March 17: China has shown concern over a viral video circulating on social media that allegedly shows a book written by Chinese President Xi Jinping being burned at the Manmohan Technical College premises in Biratnagar, Morang.
The video, which has been widely shared in recent days, claims that the book was deliberately set on fire. Following its circulation, the Chinese Embassy in Nepal sought information through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to a source at the ministry, China has informally inquired about the video through its embassy and has asked for action if the incident is found to be true. “The embassy has informally asked why the book was burned and who was responsible,” said a ministry official. “China has expressed concern and called for an investigation into the matter.”
The college, named after UML leader and former prime minister Manmohan Adhikari, reportedly houses more than a thousand copies of books written by Xi.
However, UML leader from Koshi Province, Binod Dhakal, said the claims that Xi’s book was intentionally burned are not true. “After the video went viral, I spoke with the campus administration and found the reality to be different,” Dhakal said. “They said the incident occurred while clearing garbage and bushes within the campus. Old papers and unused documents were being burned.”
He added that some books damaged by termites and no longer readable were also burned during the cleanup. “A few books that had been eaten by termites and could not be read were burned along with the waste. It would have been better if the books had not been burned, but it was not done intentionally,” he said.
Morang District Police Office Chief, SP Kavit Katwal, said security personnel were deployed at the college on Friday after a crowd gathered following the incident.
Chief District Officer of Morang, Yuvraj Kattel, said the administration has sought a written explanation from the college. “We have asked the college for a written clarification about the incident and the video,” he said. “We will understand the situation better once we receive their response.”
People ‘s News Monitoring Service
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