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The killing of two visiting Dutch tourists on Sunday morning by the paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF) is turning out to be a major embarrassment for the Jammu and Kashmir government.
Police sources in Srinagar said that the slain Dutch nationals, identified as Bakiowli Ahmad and El-Hassanowi Khalid, came to Kashmir from Amsterdam on January six carrying valid passports and visas.
"Both the tourists had also registered with the local foreigners registration office, which all foreigners visiting Kashmir have to do," said an official of the tourism department. "The two had mentioned that they were students."
The state government has been trying hard to revive the tourism industry in Kashmir, which has been badly hit after the September 11 attacks in the United States. Though reports about the incident are conflicting, none yet support the official story.
Reports in local press in Srinagar said that the Dutch nationals had left their houseboat early to offer prayers in an adjacent mosque, since both were Muslims.
The BSF, however, says that the two suspected militants attacked a patrol party near their camp in a local hotel with knives injuring two soldiers.
"The troops opened fire on the duo and killed them on the spot," said a spokesman of the BSF.
Asked why no attempt was made to overpower them, the spokesman said, "They attacked two soldiers wounding them seriously. Hence, the BSF retaliated and killed the two tourists."
A tourism department official, however, pointed out that that the two Dutch nationals would not have registered themselves 'if they were involved in any militant activity'.
Other news reports said the duo picked up an argument with the patrol party, which ended with the angered soldiers opening fire on the duo.
Authorities have informed the Dutch embassy in New Delhi about the killings. The two bodies were shifted to a police hospital late on Sunday. Doctors embalmed the bodies after autopsy.
"The embassy officials will try to get in touch with the relatives of the two slain tourists," said a police official.
"We are trying to ascertain their antecedents from Dutch authorities," the BSF spokesman said.
The separatist All Parties Hurriyat Conference has strongly condemned the killing of the two Dutch nationals and has demanded a probe by an international rights agency.
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