A video of a group of men holding a hookah party on a boat deep in the waters of the Ganges River in Prayagraj city in India's Uttar Pradesh state has stoked controversy, prompting many people on social media to express outrage.
In the clip, widely being circulated on the Internet, the men are seen smoking and cooking chicken on the boat.
The incident reportedly took place near the Nagvasuki Temple in Prayagraj - a revered pilgrimage site for Hindus.
The Ganges is the holiest river for Hindus and people avoid eating non-vegetarian food in and around the vicinity of the river out of reverence.
The video has evoked strong public reactions on Twitter, with many netizens demanding stringent action against the men in the viral clip.
While some alleged that the people smoking a hookah pipe and having chicken were Muslims, others labeled them as "demons." Some have also called for their immediate arrest.
Meanwhile, a few termed the incident as "shameful."
"Ganga is getting dirty, on one hand, people are suffering from floods, while on the other hand there are some people who are busy in floods and are consuming hookah-meat, etc while sitting in a boat," one user wrote.
As the video began trending on various social networks, the Prayagraj police swung into action and are now looking for the offenders seen in the clip.
The city's top cop said that legal action has been initiated against them.
"This video has come to our notice in which some people are smoking hookah on a moving boat and non-vegetarian food is being cooked. This video is being investigated and the people seen on the boat are being identified," Senior Superintendent of Police Shailesh Kumar Pandey told reporters on Tuesday.