A minor Dalit girl was allegedly burnt to death by a youth at Sahalwada village near Hoshangabad after she refused to withdraw a complaint of rape against him, police said on Thursday.
The 16-year-old girl was sleeping in her house when the accused Chhote Singh Rajput allegedly poured kerosene on her and set her on fire in the village at Piparia Development Block on Wednesday, Sub-Divisional Police Officer Samar Verma told reporters.
She died on the way to a hospital, Verma said.
Rajput was recently granted bail in the rape case filed by the girl against him. He had been forcing her to withdraw the complaint.
The youth was arrested and a case of murder registered against him, Verma said.
Alleging that Rajput had links with politicians, the Madhya Pradesh unit of the Congress has demanded a high-level probe into the incident.
"Crimes against Dalits are soaring in the state," Congress spokesman Manak Agrawal said in a release in Bhopal and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for failing to control such crimes.
More from rediff