Author: Akash Singh

Bandit queen-turned-politician Phoolan Devi was born on August 10, 1963 in a Mallah family in Jalaun district of UP. Following a troubled childhood and child marriage, Phoolan joined a gang of dacoits where too she faced abuse, and was raped by a group of dacoits from the higher castes after being held hostage. After she escaped, she collected her gang and killed 22 members of the village where she was raped. Two years later, she surrendered and was shifted to jail. After being in jail for 11 years, she was released on parole in 1994. In 1996, she became an MP from Mirzapur constituency in UP, and was re-elected in 1999. On July26,  2001, Phoolan Devi was shot dead by three gunmen outside her house in Delhi.