First Conviction In Massacre By Bandit Phoolan Devi’s Gang After 43 Years

Forty-three years after bandit Phoolan Devi and her gang perpetrated the Behmai massacre in which 20 people, mostly from the Thakur community, were shot dead to “avenge” her rape, a court here on Wednesday gave a life sentence to one of the two surviving accused. It is the first conviction in the sensational case involving 35 accused, including Phoolan Devi who gained notoriety after the incident and later surrendered and became an MP but was shot dead on July 25, 2001, at the age of 37.

Avinash