Police have taken into custody two senior CPN (UML) leaders, Jhal Nath Khanal and Bamdev Gautam, as they returned to Kathmandu from Indian capital, New Delhi, Friday afternoon, reports say.

According to reports, Khanal returned to Kathmandu directly from New Delhi while Gautam arrived at bordering town of Bhairahawa and then flew to Kathmandu. Both of them were taken into custody as soon as they arrived in Kathmandu.

The UML has protested the detention of their senior leaders.

Khanal and Gautam were in the Indian capital for over last two months reportedly negotiating with the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) leadership. They are said to have played an important role in working out the second memorandum of understanding between the seven party alliance and the Maoists in March this year.

The first understanding was signed in New Delhi in November last year in which Maoists agreed to join the political mainstream and give up violence provided their main demand for holding elections to draft a new constitution were fulfilled.

The seven party alliance, in its turn, incorporated the key Maoist demand in its agitation and said they would hold talks with the rebels to bring them into mainstream if they returned to power. nepalnews.com by Apr 21 06