The Jammu and Kashmir government today said details regarding Bilal Ahmad Kawa, who was arrested in Delhi last week on charges of involvement in the 2000 Red Fort attack, were being collected.
Minister for Agriculture Ghulam Nabi Lone (Hanjura) made a statement in the Legislative Assembly today in this regard.
The House had witnessed uproarious scenes yesterday after the opposition National Conference (NC) and Independent MLA Sheikh Rashid raised the issue of the Kawa's arrest and demanded a statement from the government.
Responding to a question of NC MLA Ali Mohammad Sagar in the House today, Lone said that Kawa, a resident of Qutubuddin Pora locality of Ali Kadal in downtown Srinagar, was arrested by the Gujarat ATS and Special Cell Delhi Police at Terminal-3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport on January 10 at about 6 PM when he arrived from Srinagar by a Jet Airways flight.
"Further details in this regard are being collected by the government," he said in a brief statement.
Delhi Police had said the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad informed them that Kawa was travelling from Srinagar to Delhi follwing which he was arrested at the airport.
Kawa was on the run since 2000 and was hiding in Kashmir, they had said.
A Delhi Police officer had said that money to the tune of Rs 29.50 lakh was transferred through hawala in various bank accounts, including those of Kawa, to fund the attack.
However, Kawa's family members, following his arrest, had claimed that he was innocent and had been framed.
"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, had told reporters at the Press Enclave in Srinagar last Wednesday.
Three people, including two Army jawans, were killed in the December 22, 2000 Red Fort attack.
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