Prohibitory orders were imposed in an area of Odisha’s Balasore town on Tuesday after violence broke out between a Hindu group and a Muslim group a day earlier on the festival of Bakra Eid, reported The Hindu.

The district administration imposed section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure that prohibits the assembly of four or more persons from Pir Bazar to Patrapada in Balasore till midnight on Tuesday. Internet services were also suspended in a few sensitive areas, PTI reported.

Early on Monday, a few persons had alleged that cows were being slaughtered as part of the Bakra Eid customs and that the water in a nearby drain had turned red with blood, reported The Hindu.

Bakra Eid, also known as Eid-al-Adha, is a Muslim festival that commemorates the spirit of sacrifice. The festival also entails the slaughtering of goats.

Subsequently, locals blockaded the main road between Chandipur and Balasore and violence erupted between Hindu and Muslim groups, the newspaper reported.

Seven persons, including two police officers, were injured after stones were thrown, The Telegraph reported. Vehicles were also ransacked.

The authorities in Balasore have not made any statement suggesting that cows were indeed slaughtered in the area on Monday.

Superintendent of Police Sagarika Nath went to the site and the situation was brought under control, according to The Telegraph. “All the senior police officials are on the spot,” Nath said. “No FIR [first information report] has been lodged so far. The situation is under control.”

District Collector Asish Thakare told The Hindu that the administration is keeping a watch on the situation. “Action will be taken against culprits who are responsible for vitiating harmony between two communities,” Thakare said.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi also directed Thakare to ensure peace in the area, The Telegraph reported. “Odisha is a peaceful state,” the newspaper quoted Majhi as saying. “At any cost, the administration will not allow it to be vitiated.”