(Top) Pravin Ram in Delhi; (below) PC Ram. Picture by Ramakant Kushwaha

Guwahati, July 9: A villager confessed to police today that a body dug out from a pit in Baksa district on June 30 was that of an army jawan, not P.C. Ram, the FCI executive director abducted by Ulfa rebels.

The confession has virtually endorsed the claim that the militant group made soon after the body was exhumed and identified as that of the FCI official.

Sources said Dhireswar Dutta, a resident of Anandapur village, told the police that Lance Naik Sunil Kumar, who worked at the army base hospital in Basistha here, was killed by Ulfa militants when he was staying at Dutta’s home for a few days.

The slain soldier was buried on the banks of the Mora Pagladiya river.

The pit from where the body was found is nearly a kilometre from Dutta’s residence.

Dutta, who was absconding since the murder, was arrested at Kadamtal yesterday when he was on his way to a police outpost to surrender.

The police said the militants had suspected the lance naik of trying to glean information about Ram as the FCI official was also said to be held captive in that area.

The police subsequen- tly arrested the militants said to involved in killing the jawan.

From the rebels, they got the lead that “someone” had been killed and buried on the riverbank.

Over 20 people, including Ram’s son Pravin, then identified the body as that of the FCI official’s.

But a few days later, Ram’s family in Ghaziabad claimed to have received a telephone call from him.

Assam police have ended up with egg on their face, having had to go in for DNA profiling to ascertain the identity.

Sources said fingerprints taken from the body earlier would be sent to the Army Medical Corps to match with those of Kumar’s.

Some hair and skin samples have been sent for DNA tests.

Although the government and the police have not gone on record yet, they are now “certain” — based on Dutta’s confession — that the body is that of the army jawan’s and not Ram’s.

But Assam minister and government spokesman Ripun Bora today said Ulfa will have to come up with conclusive proof that Ram is alive before Dispur makes its stand clear. Bora suggested that Ram be produced in public.

In the past, Ulfa had led the state government astray on at least two abductions: that of Russian engineer Sergei Gritchenko and social worker Sanjoy Ghose.

After both the abductions, the Ulfa leadership had kept saying the hostages were safe but it was later learnt that both had been killed much earlier.

In the case of Ghose, Ulfa commander-in-chief Paresh Barua had personally claimed that he was safe in the outfit’s custody though the social worker was killed the day he was abducted.

Bora added that chief minister Tarun Gogoi would assess the situation after he arrives in Guwahati tomorrow from the US.

“As of today, I can only say that he will review the situation and take up the matter with the Centre regarding the future course of action. It will be premature to say anything now,” he said, when asked whether the government will concede Ulfa’s demand for release of two of its jailed leaders.

Sources in Dispur indicated that Pravin Ram is likely to meet Gogoi tomorrow with a plea to secure his father’s release.