Lucknow: A special court in Kanpur Dehat is expected to deliver verdict in the 39-year-old Behmai massacre, in which 20 people were shot dead by late dacoit Phoolan Devi and her gang members in alleged revenge. The hearing was completed in a Kanpur court and the court is expected to deliver its verdict on Monday. Out of the 23 accused in this case 16 are already dead, including Phoolan Devi.
Phoolan Devi and some members of her gang had allegedly shot dead 26 people in Behmai village of Kanpur Dehat area, of which 20 had died and six were injured. The massacre had taken place on February 14, 1981 where Devi along with her gang members Ram Avtar, Baba Mustakeem and Lallu Gang had killed 20 people.
Out of the 23 accused, 16 are already dead while three accused Bheekha, Vishwanath and Shyambabu are out on bail. One accused, Posa, is in jail and three others including Man Singh, Ramkesh and Vishwanath alias Ashok are on the run.
The four-decade-old massacre is still fresh in the minds of Behmai village residents and some still fear for their lives as some of the accused could not be captured till date. Contrary to rape claims made by Phoolan Devi, the villagers say no such incident had taken place and that Phoolan had shot dead 20 people while she was on a loot in the village.
Phoolan Devi was born on August 10, 1963 in a small village called Purva in Goraha, Uttar Pradesh. At the age of 11, she was married off to a 30-year-old man. However, the marriage did not last long and Phoolan left the house. She was allegedly gang raped and held captive when she was 18 years old. Soon after, she fled and joined a gang of dacoits and returned in 1981 to take revenge from her alleged rapists.
She later surrendered in front of the Madhya Pradesh government and went on to become an elected member of Parliament from the Mirzapur parliamentary seat. In 2001, she was assassinated by a man named Sher Singh Rana outside her house in Delhi.
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