The Chhattisgarh Police on Friday ordered an inquiry into a video purportedly showing people taking an oath to economically boycott Muslims, the Hindustan Times reported.

The police said that they are trying to trace the people who gathered the crowd to take the pledge.

The video shows people pledging not to buy any goods from Muslim shopkeepers. “From today, we Hindus pledge that we will not sell our land or give it on lease to Muslims,” a man administering the pledge is heard saying. “...We Hindus will not work as labourers and take up any other work for Muslims.”

Scroll.in could not independently verify the veracity of the video.

Surguja Collector Sanjeev Jha said the video surfaced after a recent communal clash in the region, in which the police have booked the accused persons. “It started as a normal New Year celebration brawl at a local level,” he said. “A few people are giving communal colour to the incident. This will not be allowed.”

The clash took place on January 1, when residents of Ara village in the Balrampur district visited the village of Kundi Kala for New Year celebrations, Assistant Police Superintendent Vivek Shukla told PTI.

A resident of the latter village filed a police complaint alleging that several people from Ara village barged into his home, and thrashed him and his family members. The police reportedly arrested six people in the case, but they got bail on the same day.

Shukla said that some people took advantage of the incident and provoked the villagers at Kundi Kala to take the pledge against Muslims. “We are trying to identify those who administered the oath to the gathering,” the officer said.