New Delhi: Commenting on Kathua rape case, J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti said that there was something wrong with the society.

"How can someone do such a cruel thing to a small girl who is a manifestation of Mata Vaishno Devi," Mehbooba Mufti said in Katra, reported news agency ANI.

The case of brutal rape and killing of the 8-year-old girl has become a national issue. She belonged to the nomadic Bakerwal Muslim community.

On January 10, the girl had disappeared from a spot near her house and a week later, her body was found in the same area.  The gory details of the crime were revealed in a police chargesheet last week sparking national outrage. Protests are being held in various parts of the country demanding capital punishment for the guilty.

However, eight people, including Sanji Ram, accused of raping and killing the girl pleaded not guilty and asked the district and sessions judge for a narco test.

According to news agency PTI, as the trial in the case began, the district and sessions judge asked the state Crime Branch to give copies of the chargesheet to the accused and fixed April 28 as the next date of hearing.

Following accusations of attending a rally in support of the miscreants responsible for the crime, two BJP ministers, Chandra Prakash Ganga and Lal Singh, had resigned.