by POLLY DUNBAR

Last updated at 23:16 19 January 2008

They may dress in candy-pink saris but their reputation is far from sweet.

These woman are the Pink Vigilantes, members of a group sworn to root out corruption in the police force and deliver ruthless summary justice to anyone believed guilty of domestic violence or sexual abuse.

The women, who operate in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh, wear pink as a kind of makeshift uniform - and their ranks have swelled to several hundred strong.

They arm themselves with lathi - traditional sticks - which they have used to beat men who have abandoned or abused their wives and policemen who have refused to register claims of rape.

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The group, which was formed two years ago, has even managed to unearth wrongdoing among politicians – despite the fact that its members are drawn from the lowest 'dalit' caste at the bottom of Indian society.

Along the way, the Gulabi Gang, as they call themselves, have been hit by a variety of criminal charges. But they remain unrepentant.

"Nobody comes to our help in these parts," says Sampat Pal Devi, the gang's fiery 47-year-old leader, who gives the other women lessons in fighting.

"The police and officials are corrupt and anti-poor. So sometimes we have to take the law into our own hands. At other times, we shame the wrongdoers.

"But we are not a gang in the usual sense of the term. We are a gang for justice. We wear pink because it is the colour of life."

The gang is based in Banda district, one of the poorest parts of Uttar Pradesh, and the women are slowly earning the grudging respect of local officials.

Over 20 per cent of the area's population are lower castes or 'untouchables', and women bear the brunt of poverty and discrimination in the district's caste-ridden, feudalistic and male-dominated society.

Almost all of the Pink Vigilantes live in mud-brick huts with no running water or electricity, and survive on less than 50 pence per day.

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Aarti Devi, 25, says: "On my own I have no rights but together, as the Gulabi Gang, we have power.

"When I go to fetch water, the upper-caste people beat me, saying I shouldn't be drinking the same water as them. But because we're a gang, they're scared of us and will leave us alone.

"Six months ago, a woman was raped and we went to the police station. The officers initially refused

to take the complaint, but together, we were able to force the police to take action.

"We dragged the police officer from the station and beat him with our sticks."

The group has attracted the support of an increasing number of men.

"My father is a member of the Gulabi Gang," says Aarti.

"We are not against men. We are for the rights of everybody and against people who don't believe in that."

Sampat, a mother of five who was married at nine, has become a local celebrity.

Intensely proud of her work, she says: "We have managed to stop women being raped and sent girls to school. Violence and rape against women is very common here, so we're trying to educate them so that they know their rights.

"In cases of domestic violence, we go and talk to the man and explain why it is wrong. If he refuses to listen, we get the woman out of the house, then beat him. If necessary, we do it in public to embarrass him.

"Men used to think the law didn't apply to them but we are forcing a huge change."

Last year, after receiving complaints that a government-run shop was not giving out the food it was supposed to hand out free to the poor, the gang kept watch on the owner.

One night, they saw two truckloads of grain on their way to the market, where the shop owner was planning to sell them and pocket the profits.

The Pink Vigilantes pressured the local administration to seize the grain and so they ensured that it was properly distributed.