By Azad Majumder
Dhaka, Feb 26 (EFE).- Amid a bustling crowd of book lovers vying for glimpses of celebrated authors at Bangladesh’s national book fair, one writer stands out: murder convict Shahjahan Bhuiyan, a former hangman, who won an early freedom from jail after executing fellow prisoners.
During his 32 years behind bars, Bhuiyan executed various death row convicts, including politicians, militants and military officers – a dark past now chronicled in his debut book, “How Was the Life of Hangman,” published by Kingbondonti Publishing House.
“I am now waiting to buy a copy of his book and get it signed by him,” said Shahin, a college student, at the annual fair in Dhaka.
Bhuiyan told EFE that the idea to pen his memoir dawned on him during his lengthy jail term, where he had practically very little to do other than being occasionally called for the grim duty to execute convicted prisoners.
“I used to keep a diary. When I came out of jail last year, I met the owner of this publishing house,” said Bhuiyan, sitting in the stall of Kingbondonti.
“I wanted people to take lessons from my life. I ruined it by resorting to crime. I don’t want others to make the same mistake.”
Bhuiyan’s personal narrative unfolds across three incarcerations: first for breaching discipline as an army soldier, second for robbery, and finally for both robbery and murder as part of a criminal gang.
He was convicted and given 184 years in jail for robberies and a murder charge after his arrest in 1991. His sentence was commuted to 42 years on appeal, and he was supposed to be released in 2035.
However, Bhuiyan’s time served was marked by his role as an executioner. Each execution shortened his sentence by two months.
His term was reduced by 10 years under general and special concessions. He walked free on June 18, 2023, from the Dhaka Central Jail, after serving 31 years, six months, and two days.
Bhuiyan, 74, now runs a tea stall near Dhaka and has no regrets about working as a hangman.
“I only executed the order of the court. I never had any sympathy for any convict,” said Bhuiyan.
In his memoir, Bhuiyan gives a vivid description of rituals before an execution and the reactions of some of the convicts, many of whom shaped Bangladesh’s political landscape for decades.
He claimed he executed at least 60 people as chief executioner and assistant of other executioners in jail, but authorities credited him only for 26 because his sentence could not be reduced for more than 10 years by law.
Those he executed included several leaders of the opposition Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Bangladesh Nationalist Party convicted of war crimes, military officers who assassinated the country’s founding president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
In January 2010, Bhuiyan executed five convicts for Rahman’s assassination. In his book, he narrates that one of them had his vocal cord torn during hanging, and another, who was paralyzed, was executed seated as he couldn’t stand.
He also executed some of the leaders of the homegrown Islamist outfit Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).
Business tycoon and Jamaat leader Mir Quasem Ali, convicted of war crimes, had wished to be executed by him.
“On the day of his execution, he asked the prison guards if I was there. Then he called me and said, ‘Good to see you are here. I was thinking my execution was held in your hands’,” he said.
Anjan Hasan Paban, owner of the publishing house, said they published the narrative because he “is a real-life” character. “His work appears like fiction from a movie.”
While not a bestseller per se, Bhuiyan’s memoir garnered significant attention, positioning it as one of the standout publications of the year.
“Shahjahan’s memoir drew good sales. It is among our top publications this year,” Paban said. EFE
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