Though law does not permit yet many women in history have avenged their sexual abuse:Phoolan Devi was one: She was awarded 11 years imprisonment for killing 22 men after lining them up creating shockwaves in the country

BK Singh

At a time when millions of people are anxiously waiting for the CBI findings to be made public in the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at the RG Kar hospital in Calcutta, there have been many women in history who have avenged their dishonor by killing the accused.

The law does not permit such a retaliatory step as the victim becomes accused and is punished. Still, Phoolan Devi who went on to become a bandit queen in Chambal ravines, could not wait for the law to take its course of action after she was raped and humiliated. She lined up 22 Thakur’s and shot them dead at point-blank range. Such was the anger raging inside her.

Phoolan had a difficult early life, facing abuse and discrimination as a lower-caste woman. This led her to take up arms and seek revenge against those who had wronged her. Her story has been the subject of much discussion and debate around issues of caste, gender, and social justice in India.

Her life and legacy remain complex and controversial, with some seeing her as a symbol of resistance against oppression, and others condemning her violent actions.

As historical accounts indicate Phoolan Devi was involved in several deadly confrontations and massacres during her time as a bandit leader in the Chambal Valley. However, the exact number of people she killed is not definitively known and can be disputed.

The Behmai massacre in 1981, where Phoolan Devi and her gang killed 22 upper-caste men from the Thakur community as an act of revenge.

The killing of 8 men from the Thakur community in 1979 in a revenge attack.

 The killing of 3 police officers in the 1970s during a confrontation.

She was involved in several incidents of looting, kidnapping, and murdering of landlords, moneylenders, and others seen as oppressors of the lower castes.

The total number of people killed by Phoolan Devi and her gang during her bandit life and times, is estimated to be around four dozen, though the exact count remains uncertain.