Gurugram, Oct 10 (IANS): Cattle smugglers shot at a member of the cow protection unit, here early Thursday. The victim, identified as Monu, is undergoing treatment at intensive care unit (ICU) of Medanta Hospital.

Around 2 a.m, a team of cow protection unit spotted a pick-up van in sector 10 area and signalled the driver to stop the vehicle. "Instead of stopping the vehicle, they sped away, hitting the makeshift police barricade," said Manish Kumar, a cow vigilante.

"We chased the vehicle for 40 minutes before they headed towards Sohna on NH 248. When we reached Bhondsi village, the smugglers threw a couple of animals in front of our car and also fired at us. One of the bullets hit Monu," Kumar said.

"We also dialled the police control room at 100 while chasing them but it went unanswered. The vehicle was later confiscated by the Nuh Police, but the culprits had run away," he said.

As the news of injury to cow vigilantes spread, a large number of activists from Hindu organisations assembled at the hospital. Adequate security arrangement have been made at the hospital.

"We have registered an FIR at the Sector 10 police station," Said Subhash Bokan, PRO of the Gurugram Police.

This is the second such case of violence in the past one week. Earlier this week, three smugglers who were transporting 12 cows fired at two cow vigilantes in Alwar.