Kathmandu, Oct 31 (PTI) Police briefly detained three journalists in Nepal and searched newsrooms of several media organisations, triggering protests by a journalists' body over alleged press freedom violations.
The journalists were detained from their respective offices in Kathmandu on Friday morning without arrest warrants and released in the evening after questioning, according to sources in the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ).
Issuing a statement, the FNJ described the police action against journalists as "unconstitutional" and called for its immediate halt.
"It is unconstitutional and a breach of press freedom and international law to take journalists under control from the newsroom," FNJ General Secretary Ram Prasad Dahal said.
Police also searched newsrooms while looking for the sources of certain news reports.
The detentions came a day after some newspapers and online news portals published reports on Prime Minister Balendra Shah seeking the resignation of Nepal Police Inspector General Dan Bahadur Karki for his alleged links to Inam Sapkota, who is in police custody on money laundering and indecent behaviour charges.
"Such acts must immediately stop, and if the state terror doesn't stop, then the journalists have no option other than going to the street," FNJ General Secretary Dahal said.
Meanwhile, a group of journalists led by FNJ staged a demonstration at Maitighar Mandala, Kathmandu, Saturday, against the arrest of the journalists.
