Who Killed the 'Bandit Queen'?
Phoolan Devi's Remarkable Life Ends in Gunfire

Mourners surround the body of Phoolan Devi Photo: Reuters

July 25, 2001 -- Her story has all the makings of a Hollywood blockbuster: Born into poverty in rural India, a member of a despised lower caste, sold into marriage at the age of 11 to a brutal man and raped, Phoolan Devi rose to become an adored Robin Hood-type of hero as the leader of a criminal gang. After 11 years in jail, she remade herself as a politician and became a wildly popular member of India's Parliament.

And like a movie, her story has a tragic end. On Wednesday, the "Bandit Queen" was shot to death by three masked gunmen as she returned from a morning session in the lower house of Parliament.

The 1994 Indian movie Bandit Queen, which told the story of her life, solidified Devi's image as a heroine to members of India's lower castes. She rode the wave of popularity to victory in the 1996 elections, which also marked the political resurgence of parties representing the lower castes.

NPR's Robert Siegel recently spoke with Mary Anne Weaver, who penned a profile of Devi for The Atlantic magazine five years ago, about Devi's remarkable life and legacy.

"She has always been an articulate spokeswoman for the lower castes," Weaver said. "She had an uncanny sense of instinct and intuition, and was extraordinarily intelligent."

There are already two theories about the shooting. One is that Devi was killed because of a political dispute. Political parties are getting ready for legislative assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state.

But another theory holds that Devi may have been killed by relatives seeking revenge for the murders her gang is accused of committing decades ago.

After escaping her husband and joining up with a gang of outlaws, Devi was raped by men from the village of Behmai. In 1981, 22 members of the upper caste in the village were massacred. Devi denied leading her gang in the murders, but turned herself in to police two years later.

She spent 11 years in jail awaiting charges and was eventually released on bail. Residents of Behmai have long denied Devi was raped.

"She was restrained by caste, by geography, by poverty," Weaver told Siegel. "She was one of the most extraordinary women I have ever met."

Web Resources:

Read Mary Anne Weaver's profile of Devi in The Atlantic online.