An Indian cow has been filmed apparently leaping to the defence of a girl allegedly stabbed to death by her father and uncle in a suspected honour killing.

CCTV reportedly of the exterior of a woman’s shelter in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, shows two men stabbing a girl multiple times, while an unattended calf waits in the background.

Its mother appears and rushes into the fray, charging the attackers and driving them away from the girl.

The cow then tramples the two men, knocking over a motorbike in the process.

One of the men succeeds in escaping, before the cow abandons the attack, moving to stand protectively before its calf.

The cow is believed to have been disturbed by the commotion caused by the alleged stabbing, and may have been trying to protect its young.

Seema Gujjar. (ABP News)

The girl, Seema Gujjar, died as a result of her injuries.

The two alleged attackers, identified as the girl’s father Kalyan Singh and uncle Lakhan Singh, allegedly fled the scene and remain at large.

They are believed to have attacked Seema after she eloped from her family home with a 22-year-old man identified as “Sonu” back in January, the Hindustan Times reported.

Sonu was previously arrested and jailed for engaging in a relationship with a minor, ABP News reported.

Seema is believed to have refused to return to her village Pahadigaon, and under a court order went to live in a government-run shelter instead.

She later relocated to a second shelter, run by a NGO, prior to the attack.