Kathmandu, Nov. 1 -- The Nepal Police, the home ministry and the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers have been denying responsibility after plainclothes officers were deployed to media houses on Friday to detain journalists and intimidate newsrooms in what appeared to be an attempt to force reporters to reveal their sources.

Nepal Police has said its Cyber Bureau summoned journalists after the Prime Minister's Office expressed concern over some news reports. The office, however, has denied prior knowledge of the operation, saying instead that Prime Minister Balendra Shah instructed the authorities to release the detained journalists immediately. The home ministry has not commented on the incident.

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