Phoolan Devi (1963–2001)

Bandit queen and politician of India. Born Phoolan Devi (Goddess of Flowers) in Upper Predash, India, Aug 10, 1963; gunned down in July 25, 2001, by 4 men in front of her house in New Delhi; dau. of Devidin Kewat and Moola; learned to read and write in prison; m. Puttilal (farmer), c. 1967; married Ummed Singh.

Highly spirited, was married off at 11, but returned to parents by husband a couple years later because she was often sick; as a discarded woman with no future, was urged by mother to commit suicide; captured and raped by a gang of dacoits (July 1979), was protected by gang member Vikram Mullah, became his mistress, and learned to fire a gun; was sleeping next to Vikram when he was shot and killed by Thakur gang members (Aug 13, 1980); formed a gang with Man Singh, the Phoolan Devi—Man Singh gang (Oct 1980); determined to avenge Vikram's death, raided 90 homes in Baijamau (Dec 1980), the town that housed the upper-caste Thakurs; became a national legend, her exploits celebrated in song; with a reward of 50,000 rupees on her head, dead or alive, went on a crime spree: robbing Thakur villages, hijacking lorries, robbing tourists; was involved with the Behmai massacre (Feb 14, 1981), where 22 Thakur men were shot in the back, causing a furor in the national and international press; tried and condemned in the press, went from heroine to ruthless killer; surrendered on her terms (Feb 12, 1983); admitted to raiding the village, but long claimed that she was not at the massacre site, and members of her gang backed her up; spent 11 years in prison; two years after her release, was elected to federal Parliament on a Samajwadi Party ticket (1996).

See also Mala Sen, India's Bandit Queen: The True Story of Phoolan Devi (Harvill, 1991); films Outlaw, Phoolan Devi and The One with Courage; and Women in World History.