Today, posts related to Phoolan Devi went viral on social networks, especially Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp. Some people described Phoolan Devi as a symbol of Indian womanhood, a brave woman who taught rapists a lesson, a heroine who answered the upper caste mentality in its own language, a social reformer who made her society aware, and one who realized the significance of everything from bullet to ballot.
Article- Dr. Anup Patel, National Spokesperson OBC Mahasabha
Similarly, a lot was written about Dadua three days ago. People described Dadua as the real Robin Hood of India, a sympathizer of the poor and the oppressed, a rebel who ruled the ravines for the longest time, and one who broke the pride of feudal castes.
While according to the law and mainstream media, both were notorious criminals, both fueled caste-dissension and were criminals who ran a jungle raj. After all, why are most people remembering these two people on social sites? Why do Dadua and Phoolan Devi enter the world of crime? Why do lakhs of people shed tears when they die? Who is responsible for this?
How do you remember Phoolan Devi? As a dreaded dacoit, as a person who took revenge on rapists, as a person who searched for love all her life, as an icon who changed the language and thoughts of Indian womanhood, as a person who shattered patriarchy and casteism, or as a political leader! Phoolan’s biography can be seen from all these perspectives. Phoolan was the most famous personality of her time, that is, more famous than today’s Modiji.
Many biographies of Phoolan have been written but the most authentic biography is India’s Bandit Queen by Mala Sen. Mala Sen took many interviews of Phoolan and has highlighted various aspects of her personal life in her book.
Phoolan was born in 1963 in a boatman family in Ghura Purwa of Kanpur Dehat district. Boatmen are the profession of boatmen and they usually build their houses on the river banks. Boatmen belong to the most backward class among Hindus. Phoolan Devi’s family was very poor. The family’s livelihood was dependent on labour. Phoolan had a rebellious nature from the beginning. She showed rebellious attitude when she was 11 years old.
Phoolan’s cousin wanted to sell the ancestral land, Phoolan fought with her brother. Girls having a rebellious nature was fatal for the family. Phoolan’s cousin convinced Phoolan’s mother and got 11-year-old Phoolan married to 30-year-old Puttilal. Puttilal did not even wait for Phoolan’s gauna and raped her forcefully several times. Phoolan opposed Puttilal with all her might and finally left her husband and came to her maternal home and started earning her livelihood by working as a labourer. This was Phoolan’s first resistance against patriarchy.
Phoolan was earning her livelihood by working as a labourer. Once, a man who was building a house did not pay her the wages. Phoolan got so angry that she turned that man’s house into a heap of mud. That man belonged to the upper caste. Phoolan had become an eyesore for the rich people of the village. To crush Phoolan’s courage, the village bullies raped her in front of her parents. Phoolan was 15 years old at that time. Phoolan belonged to the Mallah caste and the Mallahs had no status in front of the dominant castes at that time. Although India had become independent, the Indian Constitution had been implemented, but in the Purva of Ghura, only the law of the upper castes prevailed.
Phoolan became disgusted with the society and family and she took the path of the ravines. Phoolan joined a gang of dacoits active in the Chambal valley. Phoolan was targeted due to gang war. Phoolan Devi was kidnapped and raped by Thakurs of Behmai village and left thinking she was dead. Phoolan then got the support of Vikram Mallah. Phoolan married Vikram Mallah. Both of them formed their own gang and the gruesome Behmai incident happened in 1981.
Phoolan had identified two rapists, Phoolan brought them with her to Behmai village and identified other people involved in the gang-rape. Phoolan lined up 22 Thakurs and shot them. There cannot be a more horrific revenge of a woman for her rape. However, in an interview given to Mala Sen, Phoolan had denied her role in the Behmai massacre. Famous feminist lawyer Indira Jaisingh, who looked into Phoolan’s case, had said-
“Every day many women are raped in India. There is no official data on whether they kill their rapists or the caste-panchayat kills those women in the name of caste-pride.” He kills her. I think Phoolan had risen above the atrocities that had happened to her. Phoolan had never forgotten her past. The way Phoolan had challenged the arrogance of the upper castes and the male chauvinistic structure, she knew that life would not be so easy, she had always demanded high level police protection.”
After the Behmai massacre, Phoolan’s name had started being discussed in the country and abroad and a female dacoit had gained dominance in the ravines of Chambal. But the police had also started tightening its grip on Phoolan. Meanwhile, Phoolan’s husband Vikram Malah was killed in a police encounter. The then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was aware of the atrocities done to Phoolan and her hatred towards the society. Indira Gandhi asked Phoolan to surrender. In 1983, Phoolan surrendered before Arjun Singh, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and a supporter of social justice. In return for surrender, Phoolan put forth conditions before Arjun Singh which were accepted. The conditions were:
Her companions should not be given death penalty. Phoolan’s next condition was that all the people of her gang should not be given a sentence of more than 8 years. But Phoolan Devi had to remain in jail for 11 years without trial and the Samajwadi government that came in 1994 released Phoolan from jail. Phoolan was the leader of her gang and like a leader, she also took care of the people of her gang.
After being released, Phoolan formed Eklavya Sena to unite her society. Phoolan soon became an icon of her society. Meanwhile, Phoolan shared the stage with many socialist leaders of the country and expressed her views towards the upliftment of the backward society. But she started politics under the banner of Samajwadi Party. Phoolan was elected to the Lok Sabha from Mirzapur in 1996 and was elected MP twice in a row.
Phoolan’s journey started from a dacoit of the ravines and reached the Parliament. Phoolan Devi was the most talked about personality in the parliament at that time. The eyes of cinema and literature also fell on MP Phoolan Devi. The world famous magazine ‘Time’ called Phoolan one of the best women of the century. The Indian media and intellectual world called Phoolan a blot on Indian society and politics, while the whole world saluted Phoolan’s courageous life.
Famous filmmaker Shekhar Kapoor decided to make a film on the biography of Phoolan Devi. Shekhar Kapoor adapted Mala Sen’s book, went to ground zero to gather information and his film Bandit Queen was released in 1996. Phoolan’s character was played by famous actress Seema Biswas in the film. The film was quite controversial. Phoolan herself opposed some of the filming of this film and also filed a case against the film in the court. Phoolan had objections to four filmings of the film. Shekhar Kapoor had promised that he would cut the scenes but after some time the film was released as it was.
Phoolan was not against the freedom of cinema. Phoolan had said in an interview to famous journalist and today’s big Congress leader Rajiv Shukla that she has no objection to the film, whatever has happened to me should be seen by the whole world. Just don’t show wrong scenes.
After becoming an MP, Phoolan married Ummed Singh. This was her third marriage. Her relationship with Ummed Singh was a mix of sweet and sour. Phoolan kept searching for love, emotions and feelings all her life, but she was disappointed.
The journey of the life of the Bandit Queen of the ravines ended in the corridors of Parliament. When MP Phoolan Devi was returning from Parliament on 25 July 2001, people who were already waiting in ambush near her house fired bullets at her. Phoolan died there. Sher Singh Rana took the responsibility of Phoolan’s murder. Rana talked about taking revenge for the Behmai massacre. But Phoolan’s death was also spectacular. Phoolan died as a public representative. Phoolan’s killer is out of jail on parole today and he is being accused of involvement in the recent Saharanpur riots. Rana being out is a mockery of the Indian legal system and justice system. It has been 23 years since Phoolan Devi was killed, but today Phoolan has become a symbol of women power.
A boatman’s daughter smashed patriarchy to smithereens with her courage and determination. Think for yourself what level of feminists those who are not remembering Phoolan today are!!
On the other hand, Shivkumar Patel alias Dadua became famous as the uncrowned king of Bundelkhand.
Dadua was born in 1955-56 in Devkali village of Chitrakoot district. The area of ??Bundelkhand has always been neglected. No matter which government was in power in Uttar Pradesh, the government never looked at Bundelkhand. There was no other means of livelihood except farming at that time. Shivkumar started helping his father in farming in his youth. Due to some dispute, he got into a fight with Jagannath, a resident of Raipur, a nearby village. Jagannath along with other people paraded Shivkumar’s father naked in the village. When Shiv Kumar came to know about this, he went straight to Jagannath’s house and shot him twice in the chest. From here Shiv Kumar Patel became ‘Dadua’.
Dadua made the jungles of Manikpur his base. At that time, bidi traders exploited the tribals a lot, while on the other hand, the rich people with crusher machines were exploiting the jungles and mountains of the tribals. Dadua emerged as the messiah of the tribals. Dadua looted bidi traders and crusher machine owners a lot and distributed the looted goods among the poor tribals. The tribals started worshiping him like a god.
Dadua had a very strong political understanding. Due to Dadua’s influence, about 500 village heads became his supporters. Dadua’s area of ??influence was from Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh to Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. Dadua had reduced the dominance of the upper castes in Bundelkhand to a great extent. In the early days, Dadua was a supporter of the Communist Party of India. After this, he was a supporter of the BSP. He used to support BSP’s Bahujan politics. Around 2002, there was a rift between him and BSP leaders of Bundelkhand. When BSP formed the government in 2007, Dadua was killed in a police encounter. It is said that Dadua used to make this announcement in entire Bundelkhand in support of BSP-
Vote will be cast for the elephant,
otherwise bullets will be fired at the chest.
After this announcement of Dadua, the Dalit-backward class of Bundelkhand used to vote for BSP fearlessly. During Dadua’s time, Bundelkhand was considered a stronghold of BSP. But Dadua’s end came during the time of BSP government. Dadua lived in the ravines for about 30 years. In independent India, Dadua holds the record of living in the ravines for the longest time (even more than Veerappan). About 8 years ago, a grand temple of Dadua and his wife has been built. For some people of Bundelkhand she was a criminal, but for some people she is no less than a deity and is still being worshipped.
As time passes, people are remembering these two personalities in large numbers. What are the reasons that the general public’s faith in people who are criminals in the eyes of the law is increasing? Are the common man, the poor and the Dalits losing faith in law and order? Is democracy getting captured in the hands of the capitalists and the upper castes? Will Phoolan Devis and Daduas keep being born or will there be a change in our society, this question remains unanswered.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the personal views of the author. The Mooknayak is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, practicality or truth of any information given in this article. All the information in this article has been presented as is. Any information or facts given in this article or the views expressed are not those of The Mooknayak, and The Mooknayak is not responsible for them in any way.
Courtesy : Hindi News
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