The epitome of bravery and heroism, Phoolan Devi- The Bandit Queen was born on August 10, 1963, in Ghura Ka Purwa, a small village in Uttar Pradesh.
Phoolan Devi journey as a dacoit began in 1979 when she was either kidnapped by or simply drawn to a gang of bandits. Hailed both as a murderer and a savior, her life would prompt noted filmmaker Shekhar Kapur to make a film on the fiery lady – which Phoolan Devi herself did not like too much.
Plight of a lower caste woman:
Devi began life as the youngest child (of four) and second daughter of an illiterate Mallah family. Life as a lower caste woman in rural Uttar Pradesh is brutal, to say the least. She was practically sold off in marriage to a much older man at the age of 11. She ended up leaving her husband and returning home because her husband was sexually abusing her.
The Gang-rape:
After being raped by her husband for several years, she somehow managed to escape from her abusive husband. But, her misery did not end here. At the age of 18, she was gang-raped by high caste outlaws after the gang she belonged to was assailed by rivals. She was locked up in Behmai, an obscure Thakur town. For two weeks, a group of Thakur guys gang raped Phoolan, multiple times until she lost her consciousness.
The Revenge:
Outrageous Phoolan panting for revenge, became a gang-leader in her own. In 1981 Devi and her gang returned to the village where she had been raped. She recognised two men who raped her and sought whereabouts of the others. When they refused to divulge details, she rounded up 22 Thakur caste villagers, including two of her rapists, and executed them.
It was the biggest bloodbath by a hooligan in India’s record, catching the attention of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and tagged as the Behmai Massacre. While uppers regarded Phoolan as a callous murderer, for countless untouchables, this gun-slinging criminal had become a Devi – Phoolan Devi an incarnation of the Goddess Durga.
The Surrender:
In 1983, two years after the massacre under an amnesty scheme Phoolan Devi surrendered to the Madhya Pradesh police. According to the terms of her surrender, then MP CM Arjun Singh agreed to keep her in the Gwalior prison, rather than being sent to a UP prison. For 11 years she spent in Gwalior and Jabalpur jails and was released without facing trial. but she kept fighting a legal battle against the UP police and the Kanpur court’s orders.
The Politics:
In 1996 after 2 years after her release, she stood for election for Samajwadi Party from the Mirzapur area in Uttar Pradesh and ultimately won the election and served as a member of Parliament.
The Death:
On 25 July 2001, Phoolan was shot dead by three masked gunmen outside of her Delhi bungalow. She was hit five times – three shots to her head and two to her body. She was taken to a nearby hospital but was declared dead. The prime suspect, Sher Singh Rana, allegedly claimed to have murdered Phoolan Devi in revenge for the Behmai massacre.
