Six girls were reportedly ordered to take off their clothes and forced to beg house-to-house to appease the God of Rain.
The grotesque and disturbing scene is part of a ritual -- and prevailing social evils in the country.
It took place in a parched village in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh state in India, authorities said Tuesday.
The local villagers believe that by stripping the girls naked, it will please the gods and bring relief to their drought-stricken condition, officials said.
Videos shared on social media reportedly showed the little girls walking naked with a wooden shaft resting on their delicate shoulders that had a frog strapped to it.
The village women escorting the young lasses sing Bhajans to praise the rain god in a last-ditch attempt to bring water from the skies and save crops from dying in the fields.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has sought a report from the Damoh District Administration on the incident Sunday at Baniya village.
The girls also begged for flour, bread and foodgrains, which were then used to prepare food in the fields to complete the age-old practice, the mother of one of the girls said.
The food stuff that the girls collected must be donated to a 'bhandara' (community kitchen) that was erected in front of the village temple. It was a requirement for all the villagers to be present in the venue.
Damoh District Collector S. Krishna Chaitanya said the girls' parents had approved of the begging ritual and had even joined.
The Madhya Pradesh Police said they had not received any complaint against the procession, but pointed out that they had launched an investigation.
In such cases, the NCPCR said it can only make the villagers and those who participate in the ritual aware about the futility of their superstitious practice and make them understand that such rituals do not produce desired outcome.
India's agriculture largely relies on monsoon showers and in most parts of the country, there are superstitious practices devoted to deities depending upon local traditions and beliefs.
According to BBC News, some communities in India hold yagnas (Hindu fire rituals), while others marry donkeys or frogs all for the sake of making their gods happy and bring abundance to the land.
