Investigation Launched After Books Authored by China's Xi Jinping Allegedly Burned at Nepali Technical University

Biratnagar. The incident of books authored by Chinese President Xi Jinping, 'The Governance of China', being burned within the premises of Manmohan Technical University in Budhiganga, Morang, for the past week has created ripples in diplomatic and political circles. However, this incident appears to stem more from administrative negligence and the involvement of some employee capitalizing on it, rather than any diplomatic conspiracy.

An investigation into the facts of the incident began on Friday. A probe committee has been formed under the leadership of Morang's Assistant Chief District Officer Saroj Koirala, directed by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The committee members include DSP Leelaraj Lamichhane from the District Police Office Morang, Joint Attorney Navaraj Ghimire from the District Government Attorney's Office Morang, Law Officer Sunil Regmi from the Koshi Province Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law, and Section Officer Prakash Gurung from the Morang District Education Coordination Unit.

The committee has been given 15 days to submit its report. The investigation committee's coordinator, Koirala, stated that they began their work on Friday morning and have started recording statements from the concerned individuals.

Approximately eight years ago, around 2074 BS, Jagannath Khatiwada, Chairman of the Pushpalal Friendship Center, brought about 20,000 copies of these books to the warehouse of the then Manmohan Academy, claiming they were for study and distribution. However, Khatiwada was reluctant to clarify that his organization had placed the books in the Manmohan Academy, which was established in the name of a Communist Party leader. Sources indicate that Khatiwada delivered those books there through the Chinese Embassy.

According to Khatiwada, the distribution of the books was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, causing them to remain stored in the university's workshop and store for a long time. Now, the university needed to construct a new lab for the Civil Engineering Department under the School of Engineering. Consequently, the university decided to clean up the area while vacating the space.

During that process, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Dr. Subas Shree Pokharel, stated that a decision was made to dispose of a few hundred books and other scrap materials that had become unusable due to dampness and termites from being stored for so long.

The burned books were materials that were already shredded by termites and had faded colors. The press release issued by the university also stated that only damaged and termite-infested books were destroyed. The university's statement mentioned, 'During the cleaning process, some completely damaged and termite-ridden books were destroyed. Books and materials in good condition have been kept safe.' Vice-Chancellor Pokharel added that more than 13,000 books are still safely stored in the store.

The university claims that the role of some individuals and media outlets in escalating this incident into a diplomatic crisis appears suspicious. The matter took an intense turn after a live broadcast claimed that files related to corruption were being burned while the books were being incinerated. According to Pokharel, some people have tried to tarnish the university's reputation by falsely propagating that it is a place for teaching communism.

University sources claim that behind making the scene of burning books with the Chinese President's picture viral, despite understanding diplomatic sensitivities, there was an intention by a specific group to serve their own interests.

Jagannath Khatiwada, Chairman of the Pushpalal Friendship Center, clarified to the Chinese side that this was not a political protest but merely a technical mistake, and an error occurred while disposing of termite-eaten books. 'The books damaged by termites were disposed of while clearing the university warehouse; there is no political or diplomatic prejudice in this,' Khatiwada said. 'We could not distribute them due to COVID, which caused termites to infest the books in the warehouse. Only about 100-200 books were burned; more than 13,000 are still safe.'

He also described the news coverage as a 'stunt' and inflammatory. 'This is an inflammatory piece of news that has attempted to tarnish the relationship between the two countries,' Khatiwada stated. 'The books burned were not new ones taken from the library; only damaged and unusable books were managed.'

He recalled that the books were brought to explain China's development strategy and model to Nepalis. 'The books must have been sent to all 137 local levels and various colleges in Koshi to provide information about the Chinese development model,' he said.

He clarified that the books were brought for intellectual discussion because while many books related to India are available, there is less information about China. He urged journalists not to give an extremist dimension to the current dispute. He said, 'We are not against the Chinese President; this is just a minor incident that occurred during technical management, which should not be made into a big issue.'

This incident has angered the Chinese side, who view it as an insult to their head of state. The Chinese government and the Chinese Embassy have taken this seriously. It is reported that the Chinese side also questioned the method of book disposal. Even if the books were unusable, they should have been shredded (threaded) or buried instead of being burned.

'The Chinese team suspects whether the academy officials did this out of allegiance to some faction,' a source said. Vice-Chancellor Dr. Pokharel reiterated that they are not against the Chinese President and that this was merely a technical mistake.

Meanwhile, sources claim that the identity of the person who filmed the video, sent it to journalists, and spread the distorted incident on social media has been established, and preparations for action against them are underway. The investigation committee will prepare a report on the book inventory, the destruction process, and the role of the employees involved. Investigation committee coordinator Koirala stated that the counting process has begun to ascertain the condition of the book warehouse and the number of books.

A video went viral on social media on the 30th of Falgun, claiming that the book 'The Governance of China' by Chinese President Xi Jinping was burned. Following this incident, the Ministry sought a 24-hour clarification from the university's Vice-Chancellor Pokharel. After the submitted clarification was deemed unsatisfactory, the Ministry formed a separate committee. Fearing that this incident could affect diplomatic relations, the academy officials are continuously contacting representatives of the Chinese Embassy to clarify the situation. The diplomatic pressure has further increased after international media outlets like Reuters and BBC covered the story.