The Madhya Pradesh government has extended till September 30 the detention period of nearly 6,000 people who were picked up from across the state as a precautionary measure in view of the Ayodhya verdict.
A decision in this regard was taken on Friday after the Supreme Court stayed the pronouncement on Ayodhya title suit verdict by the Allahabad high court for a week, official sources said here on Saturday.
It was also decided that if the judgment is deferred beyond Tuesday, a decision on extending their detention period would be taken later, they said.
"Nearly 6,000 people have been detained across Madhya Pradesh, mostly from communally sensitive districts including Bhopal, Indore, Burhanpur, Khandwa and Seoni as a precautionary measure under Section 151 of the CrPC in the run up to the judgment on Ayodhya that was to be delivered on September 24," sources said.
Besides, 20 people were booked under National Security Act (NSA), they said. Also, the district administration made nearly 50,000 persons sign a bond promising that they would not breach peace following the Ayodhya judgment. With the apex court staying the verdict, those arrested continue to be in jails.