Police on Friday have taken into custody Nepali Congress spokesperson, Krishna Sitaula, from the domestic wing of Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu while he was on his way to eastern town of Biratnagar.

According to NC central office, Sitaula was scheduled to leave for Biratnagar aboard Cosmic Airways flight in connection with party activities.

Early this morning, he had taken part in a condolence meeting organized at Pashupati, Aryaghat to pay last respect to Umesh Chandra Thapa, a UML member killed in Dang on Wednesday.

Sitaula was one of the senior NC functionary coordinating election boycott programme called by the seven party opposition alliance.

Sitaula’s arrest has come at a time when diplomatic community in Kathmandu was expecting that the royal government may start releasing hundreds of political leaders, cadres, human rights activists and journalists currently in detention across the country.