Managua, Dec 23 (IANS): Nicaraguan police shut down operations at a major TV network and arrested the owner, accusing him of instigating hate and violence in the country, officials said.

The Nicaraguan broadcaster is one of the few independent news networks in the country. Its journalists have continuously covered the country's political turmoil since waves of anti-government protests and crackdowns erupted in April and hundreds of people were killed.

Law enforcement raided the headquarters of 100% Noticias here late on Friday and took several people into custody, including the broadcaster's owner and director, Miguel Mora, and news director Lucia Pineda, CNN reported.

Mora appeared in court on Saturday and has been formally accused of "fostering and instigating hate and violence" in the country, according to an attorney with the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights representing Mora.

Pineda's whereabouts remain unknown, her colleagues told CNN. "I demand his (physical) integrity and his release from custody because he's innocent," Mora's wife Veronica Chavez, who is also a journalist, told reporters on Saturday.