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Sheela Bhatt in Delhi
Phoolan Devi, who was shot dead on Wednesday afternoon, had been getting threats for some time now.
"Two weeks ago, she came to see me and complained she was receiving threatening calls," her lawyer Kamini Jaiswal told rediff.com
"I asked her to lodge a police complaint. I am not aware whether she did it or not," Jaiswal said.
Asked if she suspected who was responsible for the killing, the Supreme Court lawyer said, "My wild guess, and I repeat, my wild guess, is that those who ruined her life could be behind her murder. As far as my knowledge goes, I am not aware of anybody else who could have done this. This murder is the result of caste conflict."
Phoolan Devi, who was accused of gunning down upper caste villagers in Behmai, Uttar Pradesh, in February 1981, was a Samajwadi Party member of Parliament.
Jaiswal revealed that the Union government had approached the Supreme Court to withdraw Phoolan Devi's security cover. But the court had asked the Delhi police to review threats to her security a few weeks ago. She revealed that Phoolan Devi had come to her office with just one personal security officer.
"I feel sorry for the woman," Jaiswal said. "She had changed a lot since the last few years."
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