A group of men from West Bengal were handed over to the police by Vishwa Hindu Parishad members in Shahjahanpur for allegedly offering namaaz on the roadside.
The incident took place on Sunday evening but came to light after its videos surfaced on social media on Tuesday. The group was on its way to Rajasthan's Ajmer.
Additional Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Vajpayee told PTI on Wednesday, "Eighteen people who were on their way to Ajmer were brought to the Tilhar police station on Sunday night with the complaint that they were offering namaaz on the roadside. They were released after receiving an apology in writing and issuing a challan."
Meanwhile, local VHP leader Rajesh Awasthi, who reported the matter to the police, said, "I was on my way to some place when I saw some men offering namaaz on the roadside."
Awasthi said he told them that they are in Yogi Adityanath-ruled Uttar Pradesh, where offering namaaz in the open is prohibited.
In a video that surfaced on social media, the VHP members can be heard asking some passengers of a bus to hold their ears and apologise.
The bus with all its passengers later left for Ajmer after the incident.