26 February,2009 04:52 PM IST | | PTI
The editor of a Tamil daily was picked up by police on Thursday for "questioning" in connection with the news on last week's LTTE aircraft attack on the capital that targetted a government building.
N Vidyatharan, the Chief Editor of the Sudar Oli, a Tamil daily, was "dragged" from the funeral of a relative in the suburbs of Colombo this morning, the newspaper's managing editor said.
While initial reports said the journalist was abducted by men wearing police uniforms, the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) clarified that he had been taken up for questioning in connection with the news on the LTTE aircraft attack.
"He has been detained for questioning and his release will depend on the outcome of this interrogation," the MCNS said, without giving further details.
The Tamil newspaper's managing editor and Managing Director E Saravanabhavan earlier said, "N Vidyatharan was attending the funeral in Mount Lavinia when he was abducted by an armed group at 9.55 am".
"He was dragged like an animal and put on an white van that had a number plate which may be a wrong one," he said. He said, "even if he (Vidyatharan) has been arrested, this is not the way that he should have been dragged from a funeral".
