2000 Red Fort attack: Days after arrest, family of key accused Bilal Ahmad Kawa cries foul, says he has been framed

Srinagar: Family members of Bilal Ahmad Kawa, who was arrested on charges of involvement in the 2000 Red Fort attack, on Friday claimed he was innocent and had been framed. [caption id=“attachment_3645879” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] “He was ill. His brother asked him to undergo a health check-up in Delhi. He was not involved in anything… He has been framed,” Fatima, Kawa’s mother, told reporters at the Press Enclave in Srinagar. She said Kawa was not on the run and he made frequent business-related trips to Delhi. He booked tickets using his Aadhaar card, Fatima claimed. “He would not have done it if he was a militant? Would the government give an Aadhaar card to a militant?” she asked. Protesting Kawa’s arrest, the family and their neighbours demanded that he be released immediately. The 37-year-old Kawa, suspected to be linked to the Lashkar-e-Taiba, was arrested from the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Wednesday evening. He had been declared a proclaimed offender in the case