Phoolan Devi 21st death anniversary: Akhilesh Yadav pays respects with old photo
Called Bandit Queen, Phoolan Devi endured a life of poverty, injustice, abuse from her child marriage before stepping into the world of crime.
Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of opposition in the Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly, on Monday paid tribute to Phoolan Devi, a former Lok Sabha MP from his party, on her 21st death anniversary. Devi, or Bandit Queen, joined the Samajwadi Party after the then state government, headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav, withdrew all charges against her in 1994.
"Former MP of Samajwadi Party... Salutes and humble tributes to Phoolan Devi ji on her death anniversary," Akhilesh Yadav tweeted, with an old photograph of her standing next to a bicycle and showing the 'victory' sign.
Born in 1963 to a poor family from a marginalised community in rural Uttar Pradesh, Devi endured poverty, injustice and abuse from her child marriage at the age of 11 to a man three times her age. She spent about eleven years in jail for multiple crimes, including murder and kidnapping, but was a popular figure among some members of the public.
Remembering her as the 'warrior of social justice', Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav also tweeted about her valour and bravery. Calling her a great symbol of women's struggle, he reminded people of her efforts to safeguard 'the oppressed, suffering and poor women'.
The 1994 film Bandit Queen, starring Seema Biswas in the role of Devi, was made around the time of her release from jail and is inspired by her life.
Boosted by the public's support, she twice won the Mirzapur Lok Sabha seat, contesting as a candidate of the Samajwadi Party each time, before being assassinated in 2001 by three masked gunmen outside her Delhi residence.
Widely seen as a champion against casteism and of women's rights, in 2014 she was ranked fourth in a list of history’s most rebellious women by Time magazine.
