Family Killer Shabnam Ali: First Woman To Be Hanged In Independent India

New Delhi: Shabnam Ali (38), who was convicted along with her lover Salim of murdering her family in Uttar Pradesh, is likely to become the first woman to be hanged in Independent India.

Shabnam’s mercy petition has already been rejected by the Governor and President and she is likely to be hanged soon after a death warrant is issued. Shabnam is at present lodged in Rampur district jail while Salim is lodged in Agra prison.

According to jail officials, preparations have started for the hanging. Once the death warrant is received, Shabnam will be transferred to Mathura jail that is the only prison in the country to have a female execution room.

“Her mercy petition has been rejected by the President. We have requested the Amroha administration to obtain her death warrant. As soon as it is received, we will transfer her to Mathura district jail as it has the provision for hanging of women,” Jailor Rakesh Kumar Verma told India Today.

Meanwhile, Pawan Jallad of Meerut, who had executed the convicts in the Nirbhaya gangrape-murder case, has visited Mathura jail and suggested some modifications.

According to the Mathura Senior Jail Superintendent Shailendra Maitrey, there is a problem with the structure of the gallows. “We are fixing that now. We have also ordered two hanging ropes from Buxar Central Jail in Bihar,” Maitrey was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

On his part, Pawan Jallad said he has no qualms of executing a woman for the first time. “She killed her family along with her lover, so they should be hanged. I will do the trial, check the rope, check the board whether it’s fully prepared,” he said.

Shabnam’s uncle Sattar Ali also said she should be hanged as she had brutally murdered seven family members — her mother, father, two brothers, sister-in-law, cousin and 10-month-old nephew.

Amroha Murder Case

Shabnam, who is a double MA in English and Geography, had fallen in love with Salim, who is a Class VI dropout. But Shabnam’s family was opposed to their relation.

Following this, the two hatched a plan to kill her family. On the night of April 14, 2008, Shabnam served her family members milk laced with sedatives and later slit their throats. The infant nephew was throttled.

Shabnam, who was a teacher at a primary school, initially pretended that her house was attacked by unidentified assailants. However, Shabnam later confessed that she had abetted Salim, who worked at a wood sawing unit outside her home, in the crime.

The case was heard in Amroha court for over two years. In 2015, the Supreme Court had upheld the Allahabad High Court judgment that had awarded death penalty to them.