An Imam was arrested in Bulandshahr while cases were registered against about two hundred others for violating the lockdown orders enforced to maintain social distancing and prevent spread of coronavirus.
Top Muslim clerics had already appealed to the members of their community not to visit mosques and instead offered Friday prayers from their home.
According to reports from Bulandshahr, a case was registered against 22 people, including two imams, for offering prayers in mosques despite the nation-wide lockdown in Jahangirabad and Dibai areas of Bulandshahr district, police said on Friday.
Senior Superintendent of Police in Bulandshahr, Santosh Kumar, said that ignoring repeated warnings, around two dozen people were offering ‘namaz’ at a mosque in Mohalla Kayastha Bara of Jahangirabad.
On receiving information, when police station incharge reached the spot, the people fled.
Meanwhile, Imam Nazir Ahmed, who was offering prayers, was arrested and a case was registered against 21 people.   
In a similar incident, several people were offering prayers at a mosque in Kaser Kala village in Dibai area of the district. When the police reached the spot, the people fled.
Police were bringing the imam after arresting him but due to strong resistance from people, the cops let him off to avert any untoward incident. However the police registered a case in the matter.
In another incident reported from Hardoi, as many as 150 people were booked for offering prayers collectively in a mosque despite the lockdown in the district, police said on Friday. Superintendent of Police Amit Gupta said that despite the order to not have gatherings or crowds at any religious place and cultural programmes in the country, incidents of prayers being offered collectively in three mosques were reported in Hardoi on Thursday.
Initiating action against all three mosques, a case has been registered against over 150 people and imams of the mosques.
Similarly, about  100 people were offering prayers at a mosque in Sandila town, 35 others at a mosque in the city Kotwali area and 20 at a mosque in Pali town after which police reached the spot.
The cops reprimanded the people after the prayers ended and then registered a case.
In Kanpur also, people gathered inside a mosque in Muslim dominated area and offered Friday prayers collectively.