Eight gunaah: What gangster Ranjan Pathak’s ‘Sigma & Company’ said in death sentence passed against Bihar man in September

Police claimed Ranjan was among the most wanted men in Bihar, and had been planning a major crime during the Bihar elections. Police had also announced a reward of Rs 25,000 for his arrest.

After the murder of Ganesh Sharma last month, Pathak had released a “note” on social media, and had called up local media houses to give his reasons for killing Sharma, police said.

The purported note said “Sigma and Company” in bold lettering on top. Below it were the words: “Nyay, Sewa, Sahyog”, which translates to “Justice, Service, Cooperation”.

The purported note listed eight alleged “gunaah” (crimes) that it said Sharma, the murdered man, was guilty of: “vishwasghaati” (betrayer), “gaddar” (traitor), “taanashah” (dictator), “beimaan” (dishonest), “taskar” (smuggler), “charitraheen” (immoral), “mahapatit” (great sinner), and “dabangai” (arrogance).

Sharma was a former Sitamarhi district chief of the Brahmarshi Sena, a private militia that once claimed to represent the interests of upper-caste Bhumihars mainly in the districts of Bhojpur, Aurangabad, and Jehanabad in southwestern Bihar. Brahmarshi Sena was one of the several caste armies patronised by landlords in Bihar in the 1980s and 1990s to protect themselves against Naxals and other left-wing extremists.

The purported note from “Sigma and Company”, however, said they had no animosity for any caste or community, and their fight was instead against corrupt police officers and the administration. There were many reasons for eliminating Sharma, “atah, gunahgaar ko mrityudand diya jata hai (Therefore, the criminal is sentenced to death)”, it said.

The purported note also accused corrupt police officers of making their lives miserable, and made an apparent threat: “Those who have given Rs 11 as blessings, get ready to receive Rs 111 as a return gift.”

The purported note was signed “Founder Bharati Kapur Jha (BA Hons LLB)… Ranjan Pathak and all its members”.