Ayodhya verdict: All schools, colleges shut in Delhi, UP, MP, K'taka

All educational institutions in Uttar Pradesh will remain closed from Saturday to Monday in view of the Ayodhya verdict, officials said on Friday.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to pronounce on Saturday its verdict in the politically sensitive case of Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute in Ayodhya.

All schools, colleges, educational institutions and training centres shall be closed from Saturday to Monday as a precautionary measure, a government official said.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made across the state and a special vigil is being maintained on social media. If required, checks would be imposed on it, the official said.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has made an appeal to the people of the state to maintain peace and order and not pay any heed to rumour-mongering.

The Madhya Pradesh government has also declared a holiday for all educational institutions in the state on Saturday in view of the Ayodhya case judgment.

An order issued by the deputy secretary, school education department, declared holiday for all educational institutions, including private ones.

Chief Minister Kamal Nath appealed people to respect the verdict and maintain peace.

'I appeal to the people of the state and all sections of the society to welcome and respect the verdict whatever the decision may be,' he said in a statement.

He appealed people to maintain brotherhood and harmony in keeping with the 'Ganga-Jamuni (syncretic) culture' of the state.

People should not spread rumours, he added.

All schools and colleges in Karnataka will also remain closed on Saturday.

The Delhi government also advised all private schools to remain closed on November 9 as a precautionary measure in view of the verdict.

'There are potential security concerns with the SC Ayodhya verdict tomorrow morning.

'All government schools and many private schools are closed tomorrow, as it is a second Saturday. We are advising all private schools to also remain closed tomorrow,' Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said in a tweet.

Schools in Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida have also been closed in view of the verdict till Monday.

Maha cops on alert, social media under lens

Police are on alert in Mumbai and rest of Maharashtra in view of the Ayodhya verdict, an official said Mumbai.

Besides heavy deployment of personnel, police are also keeping a tab on social media to prevent spread of inflammatory posts or messages.

"We have issued an alert and deployed additional police force," a senior police official said.

Strict action would be taken against anybody who tries to disturbs communal peace by posting or circulating provocative content on social media, the official said.

Police have already issued notices to admins of WhatsApp groups in sensitive areas to guard against posting or forwarding of objectionable posts by their members.

Police also took to their official Twitter and Facebook accounts to issue appeals for peace on the day of verdict.

Meetings of peace committees and Mohalla committees were called in the run-up to the verdict to ensure that communal harmony was maintained, the official said.

In Mumbai, police have issued prohibitory orders against gathering of five or more persons till November 18.

Personnel of the crime branch, special branch, Quick Response Teams, Bomb Detection and Disposal Squads (BDDS) are on alert, the official said.

Even drones would be used for monitoring in sensitive locations, he added.

Earlier this week, Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Barve appealed citizens of the megapolis -- which had witnessed terrible riots after the demolition of Babri Masjid in December 1992 -- to maintain peace and harmony.

Barve held a meeting with some prominent members of the Muslim community, including journalists and spiritual leaders, and appealed them to accept the apex court's verdict, whichever way it may go.