New Delhi:Even as the brutal rape and murder of an 8-year-old in Kathua in Jammu-Kashmir has shaken the conscience of the nation, celebrities have united against the brutality and are demanding justice for the child.

Celebrities like Konkona Sen Sharma, Kalki Koechlin, Vishal Dadlani, Shruti Seth, Swara Bhaskar, Gul Panag among others are sharing pictures of themselves holding a placard expressing a clear and stern message ‘Justice For Our Child,’ ‘Justice For The 8-year-old’. The message shared through the placards shake the conscience as while seeking justice it says, “I am Hindustan, I am ashamed.”

Meanwhile a protest march, seeking justice for the child and more stringent measures in rape law, is being held in Mumbai.

Bollywood has been pouring its support for the cause while at the same time expressing horror and disbelief at the sheer brutality. On Friday too, Bollywood’s bignames like Sonam Kapoor, Akshay Kumar, Farhan Akhtar joined the nationwide campaign seeking justice for the minor rape victim.

Even as the outrage against the brutal rape has been growing, a demand for death penalty to the rapists of the minor has also been escalating. Earlier on Friday, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi echoed Jammu Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s views to bring a law to make death penalty mandatory for those who rape minors.

“I have been deeply disturbed by the rape case in Kathua and all the recent rape cases that have happened in recent past. I and the ministry intend to bring an amendment in the POCSO act asking for the death penalty for rape on children below 12 years,” said Maneka Gandhi.

On Thursday, after the details of the depraved crime had been revealed in the chargesheet, Mehbooba Mufti had stated that her government would bring a law after which no child has to ever suffer like the 8-year-old.

“We will never ever let another child suffer in this way. We will bring a new law that will make the death penalty mandatory for those who rape minors, so that 8-year-old case becomes the last”, Mufti had tweeted.