Shahjahan Bhuiyan, 70, who had been a figure of controversy as an executioner and an unexpected renown as a TikTok star. Died last week. His was a journey from the underworld of crime and punishment to social. Media stardom that may be both infamous and fascinating.
Mr. Bhuiyan worked as an executioner in Bangladesh. He put serial killers, convicted war criminals, and opposition politicians to death. That made him the face of Bangladesh’s justice system — a role both feared and revered.
According to police officials, Mr. Bhuiyan was freed from prison last June after serving time on murder charges lodged against him. But instead of fading away with his criminal record. He became even more famous when he turned his back on it.
He wrote best-selling books about being an executioner that recounted his experiences.And the psychological toll they took on him — playing up readers. Morbid curiosity about what might.Have driven somebody like him into such a line of work. The books made him a literary celebrity and a public one.
Then came TikTok.
In short video clips posted on the platform. Often featuring anecdotes from his days working as an executioner. He quickly grew an enormous following. At its peak, users watched his content millions and millions of times.
That had much to do with how unique Mr. Bhuiyan was — nobody else could talk so candidly. About what it felt like to kill for money at the behest of the state . And how relatable.His storytelling style was across cultures and age groups.
It didn’t hurt that people considered this stuff important: They believed Mr. Bhuiyan was saying something profound about justice or morality or human nature or whatever else. when all he wanted was for them not only to click “like” .But also share their thoughts on these subjects below each video. So that more folks would see them thereby increasing audience. Engagement turning him into a viral sensation on TikTok.Where people went wild for his unusual combination of frankness and eloquence.
There followed a storm of comments that became debates.Which led to discussions about the role played by mental health in criminal. justice system failures or why some societies are more punitive than others.All sorts of things nobody ever thought could become the subject matter for a social .Media app like TikTok but did thanks to Shahjahan Bhuiyan’s account going live internationally speaking.Figurative language about lighting up the internet with thoughts on justice morality human nature whatever else .One might expect from someone who has been through.What he has been through given where he comes from how long ago it happened etc.
Even though his death has left a huge void as Bangladesh. And the rest of the world pause to think about him. What Shahjahan Bhuiyan will be remembered for most is being associated with fear, and fascination.And our never-ending desire to comprehend humanity. In dying, he brings to an end part of his story.Which spanned excellent and evil.Crime and celebrity status, and punishment to salvation.
