Shahjahan Bhuiyan with a copy of his book ‘How Was the Life of a Hangman’ (Picture: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
This is the man who chipped off year after year from his prison sentence by executing convicts on death row.
Shahjahan Bhuiyan won early freedom by hanging serial killers, politicians and military officers in Bangladesh’s Dhaka Central Jail.
He is thought to have carried out at least 26 executions, but reports have put the number as high as 60, earning him the title of the nation’s deadliest executioner.
The 74-year-old had three sentences – one for breaching discipline as an army soldier, another for robbery, and a third for both robbery and murder as part of a criminal gang.
Bhuiyan was convicted and given 184 years behind bars in 1991. His sentence was then commuted to 42 years on appeal, and he was supposed to be released in 2035.
But when he volunteered to serve as a hangman in Dhaka, he shortened his sentence with every kill.
He was released from the Dhaka Central Jail in June 2023 (Picture: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
Among those who died at his hands were military officers found guilty of killing the country’s founding leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman – father of Bangladesh’s current prime minister.
He also carried out the executions of politicians Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury and Ali Ahsan Mujahid, who were both charged with war crimes, as well as the serial killer Ershad Shikder.
Bhuiyan finally walked out of Dhaka Central Jail free on June 18, 2023, after more than three decades in prison.
His sentence was shortened by 10 years, five months and 28 days for his service.
After his release, the prolific executioner ran a tea stall near the Bangladeshi capital.
He continued to defend his role as a hangman in his published memoir ‘How Was the Life of a Hangman’.
Bhuiyan was admitted to hospital on Monday after complaining of chest pains and died later that evening, according to his family.
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