Phoolan Devi
Indian bandit and politician (1963–2001)
Why this is trending
Interest in “Phoolan Devi” spiked on Wikipedia on 2026-07-25.
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Key Takeaways
- Phoolan Devi ( Hindi: [pʰuː.
- She was a woman of the Mallah subcaste who grew up in poverty in a village in the state of Uttar Pradesh, where her family was on the losing side of a land dispute which caused them many problems.
- Her gang robbed higher-caste villages and held up trains and vehicles.
- Phoolan Devi was charged in absentia for the 1981 Behmai massacre , in which twenty Thakur men were killed, allegedly on her command.
- She surrendered two years later in a carefully negotiated settlement and spent eleven years in Gwalior prison, awaiting trial.
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Source summary
WikipediaPhoolan Devi (Hindi: [pʰuː.lən d̪eː.ʋiː], 10 August 1963 – 25 July 2001), popularly known as the Bandit Queen, was an Indian dacoit (bandit) who became a politician, serving as a member of parliament until her assassination. She was a woman of the Mallah subcaste who grew up in poverty in a village in the state of Uttar Pradesh, where her family was on the losing side of a land dispute which caused them many problems. After being married off at the age of eleven and being sexually abused by various people, she joined a gang of dacoits. Her gang robbed higher-caste villages and held up trains and vehicles. When she punished her rapists and evaded capture by the authorities, she became a heroine to the Other Backward Classes who saw her as a Robin Hood figure. Phoolan Devi was charged in absentia for the 1981 Behmai massacre, in which twenty Thakur men were killed, allegedly on her command. After this event, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh resigned, and calls to apprehend her were amplified. She surrendered two years later in a carefully negotiated settlement and spent eleven years in Gwalior prison, awaiting trial.
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