<p>A rooster fitted with a knife for an illegal cockfight in southern India has killed its owner, sparking a manhunt for the organisers of the event, police said Saturday.</p>.<p>The bird had a knife attached to its leg ready to take on an opponent when it inflicted serious injuries to the man's groin as it tried to escape, officers said.</p>.<p>The victim died from loss of blood before he could reach a hospital in the Karimnagar district of Telangana state earlier this week, local police officer B. Jeevan told AFP.</p>.<p>The man was among 16 people organising the cockfight in the village of Lothunur when the freak accident took place, Jeevan said.</p>.<p>The rooster was briefly held at the local police station before it was sent to a poultry farm.</p>.<p>"We are searching for the other 15 people involved in organising the illegal fight," Jeevan said.</p>.<p>They could face charges of manslaughter, illegal betting and hosting a cockfight.</p>.<p>Cockfights are banned but still common in rural areas of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Odisha states -- particularly around the Hindu festival of Sankranti.</p>.<p>Specially-bred roosters have 7.5-centimetre (three-inch) knives or blades tethered to their legs and punters bet on who will win the gruesome fight.</p>.<p>Thousands of roosters die each year in battles which, despite the efforts of animal rights groups, attract large crowds.</p>
<p>A rooster fitted with a knife for an illegal cockfight in southern India has killed its owner, sparking a manhunt for the organisers of the event, police said Saturday.</p>.<p>The bird had a knife attached to its leg ready to take on an opponent when it inflicted serious injuries to the man's groin as it tried to escape, officers said.</p>.<p>The victim died from loss of blood before he could reach a hospital in the Karimnagar district of Telangana state earlier this week, local police officer B. Jeevan told AFP.</p>.<p>The man was among 16 people organising the cockfight in the village of Lothunur when the freak accident took place, Jeevan said.</p>.<p>The rooster was briefly held at the local police station before it was sent to a poultry farm.</p>.<p>"We are searching for the other 15 people involved in organising the illegal fight," Jeevan said.</p>.<p>They could face charges of manslaughter, illegal betting and hosting a cockfight.</p>.<p>Cockfights are banned but still common in rural areas of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Odisha states -- particularly around the Hindu festival of Sankranti.</p>.<p>Specially-bred roosters have 7.5-centimetre (three-inch) knives or blades tethered to their legs and punters bet on who will win the gruesome fight.</p>.<p>Thousands of roosters die each year in battles which, despite the efforts of animal rights groups, attract large crowds.</p>