Born into poverty in the notoriously lawless Chambal Valley in Northern India, Phoolan Devi has become one of the most famous bandits in India’s history, a living legend– and “The Goddess of Flowers, and ” champion of the oppressed, revered by millions.As a child of the lowly Nishad castes she fought for her father’s land rights–an unprecedented action for a woman. Her subsequent refusal to tolerate an arranged marriage put her beyond the pale, and as a punishment she was kidnapped by a dacoit (bandit) gang. Many would not survive such brutality, but within a year Phoolan emerged as the leader of her own band, and soon became one of the region’s most notorious bandits.In revenge for the murder of her lover, and her own rape, she is said to have been responsible for the murder of 22 high-caste Hindu men. Phoolan made powerful enemies, and the police net closed in on her until she finally surrendered–on her own terms, in front of thousands of people–in 1983. She faced 55 criminal charges, including murder, and was sentenced to eight and a half years in jail.But she was now a political pawn, and it was not until February 1994 that Phoolan was finally relased, to the discomfort of many high-caste Thakurs, and the unbounded joy of Uttar Pradesh’s lower castes.

India’s Bandit Queen: The True Story of Phoolan Devi PDF

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