There are still conflicting statements on the alleged disappearance and death in police custody of Krishna Sen, the pro-Maoist editor of Janadisha, who was reported to have been arrested on 20 May. The weekly Jana Astha announced that he had died under torture, and this was confirmed by the international organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF). A Home Ministry statement said that Sen was never arrested by the police and dismissed as "baseless" Sen's reported death in custody, but acknowledged that he was on its most wanted list. "This latest statement is as revolting as it is ridiculous," maintains Robert M?nard, secretary-general of RSF.

Sen's case has triggered off an outcry among human rights and journalists groups here too. On 4 July the Federation of Nepalese Journalists announced the launch of a two-week long protest campaign demanding an official inquiry into cases of journalists who have been killed or tortured in prison, the release of journalists still in custody and the lifting of all press censorship. A number of vernacular weeklies left their editorials blank on Tuesday as part of the campaign.