Fellow journalists are frightened after the arrest and producing before courts of colleague Loha Dayanandan, reports BBC Sandeshaya.

Dayanandan, who is presently out on bail, refuses to give details to the media due to the fear for his life, reports add.

Arrested due to false article

He only says that he had been arrested after he wrote an article to his newspaper in connection with an alleged raping of a girl by a policeman in Nelliadi.

Police media spokesman ASP Ruwan Gunasekara said the journalist was questioned and produced before courts after he had published a false report originally posted in a website.

Men wearing police logo

Meanwhile, three journalists had been ambushed by two men wearing the police logo in their shirts, as they had been returning to office after covering a public protest at Nallur over the pollution of water resources due to the Chunnakam power plant, Ravaya reports.

The two men, drunk and armed with knives, had come after them in a motorcycle, bearing number BAL 2172, said one of the journalists who faced the incident.

The three journalists from Thinakkural and Asia Broadcasting had taken pictures of the assailants.

Media accreditation not accepted

When they had gone to Jaffna police to lodge a complaint, they saw the motorcycle in question at the police station.

Police had refused to accept the media accreditation cards of the journalists.

The office of the police media spokesman said they had no report of such an incident.