Union Minister of
State for Home G Kishan Reddy on Monday said that nearly 1,200 people across
the country were detained under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) in 2017 and 2018. The minister also added that 563 people are still in
custody.

According to the 2018 National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report,
Madhya Pradesh detained the highest number of people under the NSA in 2017 and
2018 followed by Uttar Pradesh, the minister said in a written
reply to a question in the Upper House.

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A total of 501 people
were detained in different parts of the country under the stringent law in 2017.
Of these, 229 were released by review boards and 272 are under custody, he
said.

In 2018, 697 people
were detained under the NSA across the country and 406 were released by review
boards while 291 are under custody, Reddy added.

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In Madhya Pradesh, 795
people were detained under the NSA in 2017 and 2018; 466 were released by
review boards and 329 are still in custody.

In Uttar Pradesh, of
the 338 people detained under the NSA in 2017 and 2018, 150 were released by
review boards and 188 are under detention, the minister said.