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The crematorium's priest had called the victim's mother and showed her the body of her dead child, Singh said, citing the mother's statement. The priest allegedly told the mother her daughter had been electrocuted, he added.
The priest and three other crematorium employees convinced the mother to cremate the body, claiming it would be a hassle to involve the police, Singh said. The girl's body was cremated, with her parents present, he added.
But the incident caused uproar in the victim's village, where about 200 villagers gathered that night, demanding justice. Police then arrested the four men accused of the girl's murder, according to Singh.
Days of protests followed in New Delhi as hundreds of protesters gathered at the victim's village, demanding accountability for the girl's death.
Some burned effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as anger grew over his alleged failure to protect young girls from the country's urgent rape problem.
Anil Kumar, a 46-year-old protester said there was "complete lawlessness" in New Delhi.
"A 9-year-old is raped and the administration was sleeping," he said. "We want the harshest punishment for the accused, an example should be set by the government. Women's safety cannot be taken lightly."
The case will be heard in a district court on Tuesday and will later be sent to a fast track court, according to the Home Affairs Ministry's statement.
Anti-rape and women's rights activist Yogita Bhayana said that while the swift laying of charges in the case was "very welcoming and progressive," it was a result of the immense pressure placed on authorities to swiftly investigate.
"I welcome the move but I want every such case to be dealt in the same way this case has been handled," she said.
Violence against Dalit women and girls
Though India's caste system was officially abolished in 1950, the 2,000-year-old social hierarchy still exists in the Hindu-majority nation. The caste system categorizes Hindus at birth, defining their place in society, what jobs they can do and who they can marry.
Dalits -- who account for about 201 million people of India's 1.3 billion population, according to government figures -- are one of the most oppressed groups in the caste system. They have been referred to as "untouchables" in the past and continue to experience rampant discrimination, sexual violence and assault.
Dalit women are further marginalized, owing to their status in society, coupled with the social stigma and shame attached to reporting sexual assault.
A litany of violent crimes and sex attacks against Dalit women and girls have caused outrage in recent years.
Activists and opposition politicians say the crimes reflect an atmosphere of hate, fueled in part by a rise in Hindu nationalism.
Their investigation found that Dalit women and girls in the northern state of Haryana are often denied access to justice in cases of sexual violence due to the "prevalent culture of impunity, particularly when the perpetrators are from a dominant caste."
The organization called on the government to ensure increased police accountability and effective law enforcement to protect caste-based minorities.
In March last year, then junior member of the Ministry of Home Affairs, G. Kishan Reddy, said in a written response to parliament that the government was "committed to ensure protection" of those in marginalized castes. He added that laws had been amended in 2015 to strengthen both preventative and punitive measures for crimes against Dalits.