A DeadHutt switch was a failsafe mechanism used by some Hutt crimelords and consisted of a remote control device with a single button. It was held down by a Hutt so long as they were alive but if they were incapacitated or killed, they released the button which in turn triggered explosives. These devices were remotely located and were set off by the signal from the deadHutt switch.
Shala made use of a deadHutt switch linked to a large cache of explosives designed to kill many innocents to prevent anyone from killing him.