Teenager Beheaded in Southern India in Caste-Based Violence.

Concerns about caste-based violence in India are growing after a 13-year-old girl from a lower caste was beheaded in one of the country's southern states last week, with her alleged assailant coming from a higher, majority caste, according to police.

The complaint filed with police in the Salem district of Tamil Nadu alleges that the victim had rejected the advances of the accused, triggering a violent reaction.

"The girl was brutally murdered. The investigation is ongoing and the accused has been arrested," said Ponkarthik Kumar, senior police official in the district.

The police have charged him under the act that criminalizes caste-based violence. The law has existed in India since 1989.

The lower castes, also known as Dalits, one of the most marginalized groups in India's complicated caste system -- a community of people once known as the untouchables, who were often denied the right to education and employment through systemic discrimination and abuse.

In spite of numerous laws and court rulings that have attempted to provide a level playing field, deep-rooted bias has repeatedly hampered progress, activists say.

"Why does the establishment not show that strength? Such incidents are constantly happening. When we are pushing for advocacy, the political will must be questioned, or the lack of political will must be questioned," said Radhika Ganesh, a political activist who has been advocating for Dalit rights for years.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, the total number of crimes against people of lower castes was more than 47,000 in 2016.