In videos of an attack allegedly by ‘Gau Rakshaks’ or cow vigilantes on a family in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district, women are heard screaming and begging for mercy inside a shed as a large group of men kick the structure and chant slogans.

Five of the nomadic family, including a nine-year-old girl and an elderly man, came under attack on Friday night when they were moving with their livestock. They were intercepted by a large group and beaten up with iron rods. In the video, a group of policemen are seen at the spot but are outnumbered by the attackers.

The video shows the elderly man fall to the ground, bleeding, after being attacked with rods. The women are seen rushing to help the man and screaming helplessly. The mob also set fire to the shed.

Eleven people were arrested yesterday for the assault. But four members of the family that was thrashed have also been charged with transporting cattle without permission.

“Eleven people have been arrested for thrashing two members of the nomadic family while they were transporting bovines without permission on Thursday evening,” a senior cop Tahir Bhat told Press Trust of India. The accused, who are between 18 and 50, have no criminal background.

Justifying the case against the victims, Mr Bhat said a movement permit issued by the Deputy Commissioner is needed for transporting cattle from one place to another in a vehicle. The family, said the officer, did not take permission from the authorities.

He said an advisory has been issued to all authorities to ensure safety and facilitate the movement of nomads along with their cattle from plains to higher reaches, which is routine at this time of the year.