(Update)-Shanti Higher Secondary School in Sundarbajar of Lamjung was set on fire at midnight on Friday. According to the school's teacher Narayan Giri, the school had conducted its first quarterly exam on Friday afternoon. "On Friday night we heard a sudden loud noise coming from the school area and when we went to see what had happened, we found that the school building was on fire," Giri said. Although initially it was believed that the fire had started due to electric sparks police found that someone had cut metals grills in class windows to enter the class and set fire. Four rooms including the administrative section, kitchen, and library of the school have been completely destroyed due to the fire. The school has sustained damages estimated at around rupees one crore and twenty lakh due to the fire. Police inspector Hemanta Thapa said that police had initiated an investigation into the incident. However, no one has been arrested so far in connection with the incident. The school located at the old district headquarters of Lamjung district Kunchha had come into operation in 2009 and 500 students attended the school at present. 

(Updated)-When the police arrested Padam Mishra, who was at the school at the time of the fire, for investigation, he admitted that he set the school on fire under the direction of the Principal. Padam Mishra, a school watchman, testified that he set the school on fire on the orders of Principal Narayan Giri, Inspector Rajendra Adhikari told Annapurna. "Even though the watchman has given the same statement many times, the principal has still denied the incident. We are still investigating the incident." According to the Inspector General of Police, the guard had set fire to the school while he was going to sleep at the school for about a week. Important documents of the school destroyed by fire. 

Police took Giri into custody after Deepak Adhikari gave the statement. The district court has extended the term of both the accused to seven days. Principal Giri, on the other hand, claimed that the statement of Chowkidar Mishra was false and that he was not involved in the incident. Preliminary investigation has revealed that the fire was started to show that the school materials and documents were destroyed by fire in a planned manner. According to Hemant Thapa, Inspector at the Area Police Office, Bhotevdar, only 10 wreckage out of 20 computers were found in the fire. Locals have speculated that the school may have been set on fire to cover up its corruption after it was found that Giri had used the school's computer and other materials at home. Police said they were taking statements from the principal, management committee, and teachers as the watchman could not handle the incident alone. Nilkantha Adhikari, a teacher at the school, said that the examination which started on the day of the fire was postponed after the fire. He said he was compelled to conduct the examination under the open sky after the school was burnt down. 

Deepak Adhikari said that more than 3,000 books in the school library were destroyed by the fire and important documents kept in the storeroom also burnt. The fire destroyed materials in the school laboratory, computers, photocopy machines, copperplate with the name of the school donor, and photographs of more than 300 school donors. According to the school teachers, 300 chairs including classrooms, library, computer room, lab, and storeroom were burnt due to the fire. The fire destroyed food and other items kept in the dormitory built to accommodate class ten students in the school. The school fire is estimated to have caused a total loss of 1 Crore 20 Lakh