In a barbaric incident, a six-year-old girl was allegedly raped, killed and then set on fire with her half-burnt body found at a home at Jalalpur village in Tanda near Hoshiarpur in Punjab, The Tribune reported.

The victim was the daughter of a migrant labourer who was living in the same village.

According to the victim's father, Gurpreet allegedly took the girl to his home where he allegedly raped her.

The girl’s partially burnt body was recovered from the cattle shed of Surpreet Singh and his grandfather Surjit Singh two days ago.

Gurpreet Singh and his grandfather Surjit Singh – have been arrested on charges of murder, rape and other relevant sections of the IPC and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission Chairperson Tejinder Kaur took suo motu notice of the incident and sought a detailed report from Senior Superintendent of Police, Hoshiarpur, by October 26.

The BJP hit out at the Congress over the rape and killing of a six-year-old Dalit girl and asked opposition party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra why had they not paid a visit to the family of the victim yet.

Union minister and BJP leader Prakash Javadekar accused Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi of going on a "political tour" to Hathras in Uttar Pradesh, while ignoring ghastly crimes against women in Punjab and Rajasthan, which are ruled by the Congress.

Punjab BJP leader Vijay Sampla met the family.