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A 24-year-old stonecutter in India chopped off his tongue in an apparent attempt to appease a goddess and stop the spread of the coronavirus, according to reports.

Vivek Sharma, who worked with his brother Shivam and seven others at the Bhavani Mata temple in Suigam, became alarmed about the deadly disease, according to the Times of India.

His co-worker Brijesh Singh Saab Singh told authorities that Sharma, a devotee of Kali Mata, had kept chanting the deity’s name.

On Saturday morning, Sharma said he was going to the market, but did not return to the temple, the news outlet reported.

When his brother called him, a person answered and told him that Sharma had sliced off his tongue at the Nadeshwari temple in Gujarat.

The young man was rushed to a hospital in Tharad, where doctors worked to reattach his tongue, which was found in his hand as he lay unconscious on Sunday.

“For the last few days, he was keen to go back to his native town in Madhya Pradesh. But it was impossible due to lockdown. Today, in reckless abandon, he chopped off his tongue,” police sub inspector HD Parmar told the Times of India.

“Only after thorough investigation we will know the exact reason for such a step,” Parmar added.