Phoolan Devi was an Indian bandit and a politician. She was born on 10 August 1963 in Jalaun district, Uttar Pradesh. She died on 25 July 2001 in New Delhi. Her father’s name was Devi Deen, and her mother’s name was Mula Devi. 

She was married to Umed Singh. 

Interesting facts about Phoolan Devi

 Phoolan Devi was an Indian bandit who later became a politician. She was famously known as ‘Bandit Queen.’

At 11, she was forcibly married off to an older man. She was subjected to domestic abuse, after which she ran away from her in-laws’ house.  

At the age of 15, Phoolan Devi became a victim of a heinous incident. She was abducted by some upper caste villagers and was allegedly raped. After the incident, she moved door to door to seek justice, but nobody helped her. 

A few years later, she met Vikram Mallah, with whom she formed a gang of dacoits. In the year 1981, she shot down 22 villagers who had raped her when she was young. After this, the Uttar Pradesh government ordered the immediate arrest of Phoolan Devi. But the police forces of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh failed to catch her.

At the time, Phoolan Devi was the only woman in her gang of dacoits. She was a pious devotee of Goddess Durga. 

Phoolan Devi’s arrest

In the year 1983, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi asked Phoolan Devi to surrender herself. By this time, Vikram Mallah had been killed in a police encounter. Before her surrender, she stated some conditions in which she requested the government to avoid giving death penalty and not to give more than eight years of imprisonment to the gang members.

Her trial was delayed for 11 years, during which she remained as an ordinary prisoner in Gwalior Central Jail.

Phoolan Devi’s political journey

After her release in the year 1994, she was invited by Dr Ramdas to attend a conference about alcohol prohibition and female pornography. 

During the same time, she joined the Samajwadi Party. She contested in the 11th Lok Sabha elections from Mirzapur constituency.

On 15 February 1995, Phoolan Devi married Umed Singh and converted to Buddhism with Umed Singh at the famous Buddhist site Deekshabhoomi.

Phoolan Devi served as an MP from the year 1996 to 1998. 

Phoolan Devi’s autobiography

She released her autobiography titled ‘I, Phoolan Devi with the support of international writers Marie-Therese Cuny and Paul Rambally. 

On 25 July 2001, she was shot nine times by some people outside her residence. The main accused, Sher Singh Rana was arrested for the murder of Phoolan Devi. 

Film producer Shekhar Kapur’s 1983 film ‘Bandit Queen’ garnered international recognition for her.