The original Bhanwari Devi, a Dalit social worker and "Saathin" from Bhateri village, Rajasthan, was gang-raped in 1992 by higher-caste men as retaliation for her efforts to stop a local child marriage. Her pursuit of justice was met with systemic hostility and a controversial court acquittal in 1995, where the judge famously remarked that "upper-caste men would not rape a lower-caste woman for reasons of purity".
This is the most documented relationship. Malkhan Singh was a Congress leader and the standard-bearer of the Bishnoi community, which holds significant electoral sway. The original Bhanwari Devi, a Dalit social worker
: Her body was subsequently handed over to a local gang, burned, and the remains were dumped in the Rajiv Gandhi Lift Canal. Investigation and Legal Outcomes Malkhan Singh was a Congress leader and the
It is important to distinguish this from another significant case involving a different woman also named Bhanwari Devi , a social worker from Bhateri village. The Bhanwari Devi Gang-Rape Case (1992)
Her remains—charred bones, teeth, and jewelry—were later recovered from a canal near Jodhpur. Maderna, Bishnoi, and several others, including Devi's own husband, were arrested and charged with murder and conspiracy . Mahipal Maderna died of cancer in 2021 while out on bail 2. The Bhanwari Devi Gang-Rape Case (1992)