The Famous & Real ‘Revolver Queens’ of India
For the ‘Revolver Queens’, a gun is a handbag essential.
Viral videos in which women can be seen roaming the streets of Uttar Pradesh whilst carrying a gun are testimony to the growing gun culture in the country’s most populated state.
According to reports, over 21,000 women have obtained a firearm licence in the state. Of these, 900 are reported to own more than one weapon.
From January 2022, those with a gun licence will only be able to keep a maximum of two weapons.
The number of women applying for a firearm licence is also in the thousands.
There are many famous cases of the ‘Revolver Queens’ ranging from civilians to government officials.
In one bizarre example, a woman picked up her lover from his wedding pavilion at gunpoint. Another bride cut her wedding cake with a gun.
One of the most famous ‘Revolver Queens’ is Priyanka Mishra, a police constable from Uttar Pradesh who landed in trouble after a video of her flaunting a revolver in uniform went viral.
In the clip, shared in August 2021, the police constable could be seen lip-syncing to a popular dialogue on Instagram Reels.
The dialogue was dubbed in a male voice remixed with a Russian song.
In English, the dialogue translates to:
“Haryana and Punjab unnecessarily have a bad name… Come to UP. Neither do we glorify crime with songs, nor do we display our caste on our cars.
“In UP, kids as young as five know how to use guns.”
As a result of her video, the police constable gained 5,800 followers on Instagram.
In June 2020, an Indian model named Mahi Chaudhary was seen in a viral video in which she stood on a rooftop and fired a gun.
In UP’s Meerut, a video of Haryanvi actress Mahi Chaudhary firing in air has surfaced. She was recently attacked at her home in Meerut in which an FIR was registered at Nauchandi police station. pic.twitter.com/Nu6iKRT0EJ
— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) June 27, 2020
Since being shared online, the video has amassed over 1,500 views.
The video attracted a lot of attention as it surfaced online a day after the model had filed a police complaint against her husband.
She was allegedly attacked at her home in Meerut.
The discussion on gun culture in India intensified in September 2021 when a photo of the District Minister of Kanpur’s BJP Yuva Mahila Morcha, Meenakshi Gupta surfaced online.
In the photo, the district minister could be seen posing with a revolver.
In response to the criticism, Meenakshi claimed the photo was eight years old and that the gun belonged to her brother.
Female leaders are also fond of revolvers.
Amita Singh, the wife of Congress MP Raja Sanjay Singh, owns a rifle and a pistol.
Garima Singh, the ex-wife of Raja Sanjay Singh, also has a gun worth Rs 35,000 (£350).