Kathmandu, Oct. 31 -- Police entered the offices of several media outlets and detained journalists in an apparent attempt to identify the sources of news reports. They have not clearly explained why the journalists were taken in for questioning.

The action has drawn widespread criticism from political parties, including the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), journalists' organisations and civil society, with many arguing that complaints about news coverage should be addressed through the Press Council, Nepal rather than police intervention.

On Friday afternoon, police detained Bishwamani Subedi of Nepal Press, Shobharaj Baral, editor of Motive News, and Dhiraj Basnet, editor-in-chief of DNA Khabar. They also spent nearly three hours...