A man was killed after being slashed by blade tied to a rooster in a cockfight in India, police said on Thursday.

The incident draws attention to the controversial practice, which continues in the country on a large scale despite a ban.

The victim, Saripalli Venkateswara Rao, 53, was holding the rooster at a death-match in the village of Pragadavaram last week when it tried to regain its freedom, lashing out at its owner.

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“Rao made efforts to hold on, but he got deep stab injuries from a small sharp knife attached to the rooster’s leg, which also slashed his main thigh vein, causing him to bleed profusely,” police officer M Snehita told DPA by phone Thursday.

“He died on way to the hospital. Doctors said the incident shocked the man, causing a heart attack,” she added.

The incident took place on January 15, but reports emerged in Indian media only later, causing regional police to intensify a crackdown on such events.

“It’s a tragic incident, but ironic that the rooster bred to kill its opponent fowl and bring a bounty instead killed its owner. … The rooster has escaped, we couldn’t trace it,” police officer P Rajesh said.

Even though India’s Supreme Court has put a ban on organizing or inciting animal fights, tens of millions of rupees exchange hands as cockfights continue in several of India’s southern regions particularly during Makar Sankranti, a Hindu harvest festival, celebrated in mid-January.

It is also alleged that the patronage by local politicians and large sums of money means that police and law enforcement agencies look the other way, animal rights activists complain.

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