According to police, the man might have thought of offering his tongue by way of sacrifice to the goddess so that circumstances changed and he could return home. (Representative image)

A labourer from Madhya Pradesh who was apparently depressed because of the lockdown and yearning to return home chopped off his tongue at a temple in Gujarat's Banaskantha district on Saturday, police said.

While some reports claimed that it was a "sacrifice" to appease the goddess, police did not confirm them.

Vivek Sharma (24), a native of Morena district of Madhya Pradesh who worked as a sculptor, was found lying unconscious and covered in blood at the temple of Nadeshwari Mataji at Nadeshwari village in Sui Gam tehsil on Saturday.

"We found him holding his chopped tongue in his hand. and rushed him to Sui Gam hospital," said police sub-inspector HD Parmar.

The temple where the incident took place is looked after by the Border Security Force, while Sharma worked at another temple which is 14 km away.

As per the preliminary inquiry, Sharma had become extremely homesick and was restless ever since lockdown was imposed for containing coronavirus, banning inter-district or inter-state movement.

A local BSF official said Sharma might have thought of offering his tongue by way of sacrifice to the goddess so that circumstances changed and he could return home.

However, police said they can not ascertain what exactly happened until he recovers and his statement is recorded.