A 14-year-old Indian girl has died and her mother was seriously injured when they were allegedly thrown off a bus by the staff who tried to molest them.

Three men, including the bus conductor and his assistant, have been arrested.

The girl was travelling in Punjab's Moga district along with her mother and younger brother. The bus had a few passengers at the time of the assault.

The crime is reminiscent of the December 2012 gang rape where a student was assaulted on a bus in Delhi.

The 23-year-old died from injuries sustained during the attack. The crime shocked India and raised a debate over the treatment of women in the country.

In the latest incident, the girl's family had boarded the bus from their village to visit a gurudwara (Sikh temple) on Wednesday evening, reports NDTV.

"They kept abusing us. No one helped. They first pushed my daughter off the bus, then me," the channel quoted the mother, who has been admitted to hospital, as saying.

Police said they had seized the bus and were investigating the case.