Bhagwandas was the third man in the military dictatorship after Dési Bouterse and Roy Horb and was known as "the executioner of Fort Zeelandia".
[1] Like Dési Bouterse, Bhagwandas was educated in the Netherlands where he rose to sergeant and was trained at the Royal Military School in Weert.
Discontent had increased among the general public, so Bhagwandas suggested taking action stating, at a meeting of the military in early December, that it was necessary to do something drastic to save the "revolution".
When Bouterse suggested that one of the hostages be spared, (trade unionist Fred Derby), it was Bhagwandas who disagreed, stating that they should all be killed.
[1] Bhagwandas left the military in the mid-eighties and became involved with the Surinamese Football Association (Dutch: Surinaamse Voetbal Bond) (SVB).
Now you have the alienating situation where Bhagwandas is pulling the strings in the André Kamperveen Stadium, as coach he has international appeal, while he is one of the main suspects in the December Murders.