All the 40 were found offering namaaz at a mosque at the village in Chourai tehsil, 38 km from the district headquarters, late on Thursday night, inspector Mukesh Dwivedi said. A police patrol party got an alert about the gathering at the mosque in violation of section 144 (banning assembly of five or more persons) of CrPC imposed in the area, he said.

 

The men were charged under sections 188 (disobedience to order promulgated by a public servant) and 269 (unlawful or negligent act likely to spread infection of a dangerous disease) of IPC, Dwivedi said.