By Bhagirath Yogi BBC reporter in Kathmandu

An umbrella organisation of journalists in Nepal has warned the government that it will launch a protest movement if the latter does not disclose the whereabouts of a missing pro-Maoist editor.

Police detained many under emergency rules

The Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) has urged the authorities to reveal the whereabouts of Krishna Sen, editor of pro-Maoist Janadisha daily.

Mr Sen was reportedly tortured to death last month while in custody although this has not been confirmed.

International press freedom organizations too have asked the Nepalese government to conduct inquiries into Mr Sen's reported death.

Human rights violations

The FNJ President, Taranath Dahal, says the FNJ will launch a phased protest campaign if the government does not make public the whereabouts of the missing editor immediately.

But he did not say what form the campaign would take or when it would start.

Clashes between rebels and the troops continue

He said the government had arrested more than 100 journalists without any formal charges since the imposition of a state of emergency in November and nearly two dozen were still being held.

The government imposed the state of emergency to fight a Maoist insurgency after the rebels pulled out of peace talks and resumed violence late last year.

The Nepalese security forces have come under heavy criticism from within the country and beyond for alleged violations of human rights during their counter-insurgency operations.

International criticism

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has admitted there could have been some lapses in the security operations and said he has instructed the security forces to respect the people's human rights.

He has alleged that some professionals were assisting the rebels in their violent activities.

Human rights groups say that the government should not take people into custody without evidence and should produce them before the court.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists and Paris-based Reporters sans Frontiers, among others, have demanded independent probes into reports of Mr Sen's death in custody.

Local media reports said that Mr Sen was taken into custody in the third week of May and was allegedly tortured to death within a few days.

Mr Deuba says the government will provide details at "an appropriate time" without specifying when that might be.