Phoolan Devi, the Bandit Queen: An Answer to Rape and Casteism

Picture credit: patrika.com

Phoolan Devi was born in a tiny village named Jalaun District, Uttar Pradesh, India. In such villages caste plays an important role in the society and Phoolan Devi belonged to the Mallaah caste. She was born in a poor family who owned only one hectare of land.

Born on 10^th August, 1963, she was eleven years old when she was forced to get married to a man who was three times her age. Puttilal Mallah was in his 30’s when he got married and assaulted his young underage wife.

Devi was returned back to her family which is considered a taboo in the Indian society. To protect their family from further embarrassment, they sent gifts to her in-laws along with Devi and told her that she should never come back.

Birth of the Bandit Queen 

Phoolan Devi’s husband, Puttilal, since then had sexually abused her for many years. Finally, when she was sixteen, she decided to run away from her in-laws house.

Dacoits and gangs were common in the state during this time and a young sixteen year old decided to join a gang of bandits. She was a married sixteen year old, rebellious and the only woman in her gang.

The gang leader, Babu Gujjar, raped and assaulted her for many days until Vikram Mallah came to her rescue. Vikram was the second-in-command of the gang and belonged to the same caste as Devi. The next morning, Gujjar was killed by Vikram, who then assumed leadership of the gang.

Phoolan Devi and Vikram Mallah

Although the both were married, Devi and Vikram fell in love with each other and started living together. He introduced her to a new world of rifles and weapons.

A few weeks after being the leader, Vikram’s gang attacked Puttilal’s village and stabbed him in front on the entire village. Although he survived, he was left bleeding on the road and almost died.

Since then, the two lovers with their gang began looting and attacking various other gangs of upper-caste men. The problem was now the caste of these gang members.

The Bandit Queen loved her sweet revenge so much, that she used to visit a Durga temple after each attack to thank the goddess for her protection and strength.

Death of Vikram Mallah

While Vikram Mallah was the leader of the gang, Shri Ram and Lalla Ram had just been granted bail. After hearing about the death of their former gang leader, Babu Gujjar, the two men were outrageous.

They belonged to the upper-caste and although they were of the same gang, the two men could not accept the fact that a lower-caste man (Vikram Mallah) murdered their gang leader.

It was now an intra-group conflict. Ram and Lalla decided to recruit more upper-caste members in their gang. Vikram was also losing his importance in the group.

A few weeks later Vikram and Ram had an argument which led to a gunfight and ultimately the death of Vikram Mallah. Phoolan Devi was taken by the victorious bandits.

Behmai Massacre

She was taken to another village, Behmai, where she was locked in a room. Over a period of three weeks, she was raped by several upper caste and Thakur men of Ram and Lalla’s gang. To humiliate her, they made her walk naked around the village.

However, she escaped with the help of two local lower caste members of Vikram’s gang. One of them was Mann Singh, whom she later fell in love with.

Devi and Mann Singh became joint leaders of a gang comprising of Mallaah’s and lower caste men. They attacked, looted and carried out raids towards the upper-caste people and gangs.

However, she had a greater motive which was in Behmai. On 14^th February, 1981, the Bandit Queen led her gang back to her molester’s village and searched vigorously for Ram and Lalla.

Since they were not found, she ordered the murder of 22 Thakurs of Behmai to avenge her assault. This was a major blow to casteism and the men of all villages. There was an outrage amongst the upper caste men and the chief minister of U.P had to resign.

The police were trying to chase the Bandit Queen for weeks, but she was not found. She was now glorified. People from all over the country began to call her the Bandit Queen. Stories and theories about the rebellious Bandit Queen were doing the rounds.

Member of the Parliament

Two years after the massacre, the government decided to negotiate the Bandit Queen’s surrender. She was charged for over 48 crimes including murder and kidnapping.

Although her trial was delayed for 11 years, in 1994, she was released on parole. The Government of Uttar Pradesh withdrew all her charges, leaving the country in confusion and shock.

The Bandit Queen then got married and got into politics. From 1996-1998 she served as the MP of the 11^th Lok Sabha representing Mirzapur.

Phoolan Devi’s Assassination

On 25^th July, 2001, at 1:30 p.m, she was shot dead by three masked men in a Maruti 800 car. Phoolan Devi was declared dead as soon as she was taken to the nearby hospital.

The prime suspect was Sher Singh Rana, a politician, who later confessed to the crime. He mentioned that he killed her to avenge the death of the Thakurs and upper caste men. On 14^th August, 2014, Sher Singh received a life imprisonment and fine.

Today, she is viewed as an underdog who taught her tormentors the right lesson. Phoolan Devi's story is highlighted in her autobiography, "I, Phoolan Devi: The Autobiography of India's Bandit Queen" and a movie, "Bandit Queen".  

The Bandit Queen’s story is inspiring and proves to the world that the law has no power over an angry women seeking justice.

 

Written by Jerusha Patel