Online Desk: The chief hangman of Dhaka Central Jail Shahjahan Bhuiyan now wants to live a normal life. “Now I am like a newborn who came to the earth from my mother’s womb. I forgot everything about my past,” the hangman told reporters after walking out of the jail in Keraniganj this morning. The hangman was freed from the jail after serving for 32 years.

The 73-year-old’s tally of 26 executions includes mobsters, militants, war criminals, killers of Bangabandhu and assassins. As he does not have any means of income, Shahjahan said he was seeking the prime minister’s intervention to take steps for his rehabilitation by providing a house and job. Shahjahan said, “The prisons authorities gave me the task of execution as I was brave enough.”

Replying to a query over his security as he executed so many convicts, Shahjahan said he was not feeling insecure as the execution was not conducted following his order but following the court orders. He also shared his experiences of executing top militants, war criminals and killers of Bangabandhu. Initially sentenced to 42 years in prison, Shahjahan’s sentence was commuted to 32 years, according to prison regulations.