Exhumed skeleton may be Sanjoy’s

The CBI, according to the sources, have engaged a large number of labourers to dig up some spots in northern Majuli suspecting that the body of Ghose, abducted on July four and killed a day later, might be hidden buried there, when the particular skeleton was found.

It is believed that Ghose, who was abducted from the Bongaon area of the river island, was killed following altercations with the group of banned United Liberation Force of Assam (ULFA) activists who hadabducted him, following which his body was put into a gunny bag and dumped into the river which was then in full spate due to the on-going monsoon.

Sources said that the body might have sunk into the river, after which it was buried by silt which comes down heavily in the river during the flood season. The floods had made difficult any kind of search operations immediately, while the ULFA came out with a series of statements which were contradictory and confusing about the fate of Ghose.

It was only about a month later that the ULFA claimed that Ghose had died, and that too because he had fallen down a cliff in Arunachal Pradesh where he was kept confined. That statement was however found to be false.

The central investigation agency was handed over the case of solving the "death", in the absence of any direct clue or evidence confirming the killing of the eminent social worker who was abducted by the ULFA in July last.

Meanwhile, AVARD-NE is understood to have come under a cloud, with the CBI alsoprobing the nature of activities of the group. There have been complaints claiming that the NGO of Ghose had crossed its defined area of activity and was carrying out a campaign against the ULFA.