Darshan Singh

Darshan Singh (born 1932) is the chief hangman of Singapore. He assumed the post as hangman for the British colonial service in 1959 upon the retirement of the previous hangman, Mr. Seymour. Singh has said he wants to resign, but there has been trouble finding a suitable replacement.
He has hanged more than 850 condemned prisoners throughout his career, and carries the distinction of being the only hangman to have executed 18 people in one day (3 at a time). Singh is also reputed to be the fastest hangman ever, having carried out 7 hangings within 90 minutes. He receives a fee of 400 (US$281) per execution performed. Singh uses the Official Table of Drops as a part of his line of work, in order that the condemned die instantly from the drop and resulting broken neck.
As part of his duties, Singh also has the job of speaking the prescribed last words to every condemned person: "I am going to send you to a better place than this. God bless you."
Personal Life
Singh is a Muslim, having converted from Sikhism when he married his Malay wife. He believes that the death penalty provides "complete rehabilitation":
"I'm changing their character to a different one because I believe in rebirth and they will be better men next time."
His first marriage ended when his wife found out about his occupation. He re-married, and he and his second wife have three adopted children.
Van Tuong Nguyen controversy
In November 2005, Singh's identity was publicly revealed in an Australian newspaper, prior to the scheduled execution of Vietnamese Australian Van Tuong Nguyen. This led to reports that he had been fired, which were later denied by Singapore's prison officials. He was called at 6:00 a.m. Singaporean time on the date of Nguyen's execution and picked up the phone at his residence only to say he wasn't called upon to do the job. Some sources reported the possibility that an executioner was brought in from nearby Malaysia.
In an interview before Nguyen's hanging, Singh said:
:"With me, don't struggle. If a raw guy, they will struggle like chickens, like fish out of the water."
In response to this, the Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said:
:"I don't think the executioner is qualified to give useful advice, I think he seems to have found great appeal in making a spectacle of himself in the media. And I tell you that's completely inappropriate … I don't want to hear from him again."
According to a report by The New Paper on 30 November 2005, Singh was tricked into giving the interview when two reporters claiming to be acquaintances of a close friend turned up at his Marsiling Road flat. Singh also said that his picture was taken without his knowledge and approval.

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