The Chinese Embassy in Nepal has expressed concern over a controversial audio recording that appears to link Kishor Shrestha, chairperson of Jana Aastha, a weekly newspaper, with former home minister Sudan Gurung.

The recording, circulated by a Facebook page called ‘Youth of Birgunj-YOB’, claims Shrestha accepted money to publish reports against Gurung. Shrestha has rejected the allegations, calling them a deliberate attempt to damage his reputation, allegedly involving Chinese nationals.

The 3-minute 3-second video was posted at 10:41 am on Sunday by the Facebook page ‘Youth of Birgunj-YOB’. Labelled as an “exclusive”, it alleges that Shrestha, who is also editor-in-chief of Jana Aastha, received Rs 1 million and a bottle of alcohol for writing against Gurung.

The video contains an English-language audio clip, which is claimed to be Shrestha’s voice. In the recording, unidentified individuals are heard praising his journalism and urging him to continue his work. In particular, the conversation mentions that a person named “Sudaan Gurung” was not suitable for them and was a “dangerous person.” The dialogue includes references to sending “gifts”, confirming receipt of “Rs 100,000 and a bottle of liquor”, and coordinating further through the Signal messaging app.

Some hours after the clip surfaced, Shrestha issued a denial on social media at 1:53 pm on Sunday, posting 11 photographs and claiming the audio was part of a coordinated effort to defame him and his publication. He alleged that individuals using Chinese phone numbers had repeatedly contacted him in what he described as an attempt to build a narrative against the former home minister.

According to Shrestha, callers identifying themselves as “Mr Ying” and “Mr M” initially sought confirmation of Rastriya Swatantra Party chair Rabi Lamichhane’s release from the Kaski District Court (the district court on Friday ordered the withdrawal of cases of organised crime and money laundering). He said they later suggested that “Rabi and others will work together to prevent Gurung from becoming home minister”, and subsequently arranged for a masked young woman to leave alcohol and cash at his office gate in the evening.

Gurung, who had served as a volunteer during the Gen Z movement of last September, became home minister in the government led by Balendra Shah after contesting elections from the Rastriya Swatantra Party. He resigned on April 22 following scrutiny over his assets and alleged share investment links with businessman Deepak Bhatta.

On May 11, the Cabinet formed a three-member committee led by former High Court judge Achyut Prasad Bhandari to investigate allegations against Gurung. The panel also includes comptroller general Shovakant Poudel and joint attorney Achyut Mani Neupane.

Despite the ongoing inquiry, speculation has persisted over a possible return of Gurung to the home ministry, with some supporters staging protests at Maitighar demanding his reinstatement.

Jana Aastha was among the media outlets that reported on financial links between Gurung and Bhatta, and has continued coverage of the matter. Shrestha said the individuals contacting him from Chinese numbers offered money and alcohol specifically because of this reporting.

Writing on social media, Shrestha said, “They told me that Rabi would not allow Gurung to become home minister and that everyone must work together to block him. Later, a masked woman wearing sunglasses came to the office gate and left alcohol and Rs 50,000. After that, I received a written offer of Rs 1 million, saying Gurung must be stopped from becoming home minister at any cost. Even when I ignored their calls, messages continued.”

Shrestha clarified that he did not seek any money or gifts and rejected all such offers. He said police have already been informed and an investigation is under way.

Gautam Mishra, spokesperson for the District Police Range, Lalitpur, said Jana Aastha had filed a complaint on Saturday. “We are investigating the matter. The individuals involved have not been identified yet. The inquiry is ongoing,” he said.

Shrestha also shared CCTV footage on Facebook, which appears to show a masked woman wearing sunglasses leaving items at the office gate.

Following the allegations, the Chinese Embassy in Nepal issued a press statement on Sunday expressing strong objection to the rumours circulating on social media that a Chinese national attempted to bribe Nepali journalists to publish negative reports against a Nepali politician. The embassy said it was “deeply shocked” by the claims and categorically rejected them.

“We strongly condemn such acts of deliberate denigration of China,” the statement said. It stressed that China has always adhered to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries and has consistently supported Nepal’s national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as its political stability, economic development and people’s livelihoods.

The embassy urged Nepali authorities to carry out a serious, in-depth and thorough investigation into the rumours and to take strict legal action against those directly involved and those behind them in accordance with Nepali law.

Meanwhile, Shrestha maintains that the audio was deliberately manipulated. Speaking to Kantipur, he said the clip was edited selectively.

“They recorded the conversation, filtered it and removed key parts, including my responses where I clearly told them not to involve me in such matters,” he said.

He further said that after discovering money and alcohol left at his office gate, he replied firmly, asking them to take it back and not interfere with his work. He also claimed the Facebook page that released the audio is linked to an Indian organisation, the RSS.