Colombo- Police Thursday made a controversial arrest of a newspaper editor in Sri Lanka, raising protests from journalists and media rights activists who say the arrest amounted to an abduction.

Three policemen in uniform and two in civilian clothing grabbed N Vidyatharan, the chief editor of the Tamil language Sudaroli newspaper from a funeral parlor in Mount Lavinia, 12 kilometres south of Colombo, where he was attending the funeral of a relative.

Police had failed to identify themselves, relatives said, and initial reports spoke of an abduction.

Police spokesman Senior Superintendent Ranjith Gunasekara initially also spoke of and an abduction, but confirmed three hours later that the editor was arrested for alleged links with the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Vidayatharan has been questioned earlier by police over various news items the paper had reported.

Media pressure group Reporters Without Boards said they were shocked about the arrest. Local and foreign media groups also criticized the manner of the arrest. (dpa)