This is the dramatic moment locals fought off an enraged cow that was trampling a pensioner in India.

CCTV footage shows the horned beast charging at the elderly man as he ran across the street in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.

The brown bovine struck the hapless resident, who screamed for help, before continuing to gore him with its horns on September 17.

The animal then dragged its victim into a roadside puddle while a man in a white shirt attempted to drive it away by slapping its hindquarters.

Other young men rushed to pull the unconscious pensioner clear, while another hit the cow with a stick.

Despite their efforts, the animal continued to trample the victim as residents tried to fend it off.

Moments later, an electric rickshaw passed by and the driver, along with his passengers, helped to lift the man onto the vehicle.

They drove the injured pensioner to safety as the cow briefly followed behind before wandering off.

The victim was transported to a nearby hospital, where he is receiving treatment.

Doctors confirmed the elderly man had sustained serious injuries to several parts of his body.

India has hundreds of thousands of cows roaming its streets.

It is partly due to devout locals who follow Hindu customs, with cows regarded as sacred animals that cannot be eaten or slaughtered once they have stopped producing milk. The majority of states ban the sale or slaughter of cows.

Instead of dealing with the economic burden of keeping their spent cattle, many farmers let the beasts roam the streets - leading to chaos when the animals become agitated and turn their fury on humans.