Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday voiced his angst against the brutal gang-rape and assault of an eight-year-old schoolgirl in Madhya Pradesh and said the nation must come together to protect the children.

"The brutality this young child was subjected to sickens me," Gandhi tweeted. The child was abducted while she was waiting for her father outside her school on Tuesday. She was gang-raped, her throat was slit and left to die. A day later, the Madhya Pradesh police arrested Irfan alias Bhaiyu, 20, a labourer.