National
Probe ordered into killing of Dutch nationals
By Shujaat Bukhari
JAMMU, JAN. 15. The Chief Minister, Farooq Abdullah, said here today that the killing of the Dutch nationals was being investigated. ``Inquiry is on to know the circumstances that led to the killing of two foreigners,'' he said adding that the Government would wait for the report. Dr. Abdullah said the security forces were fighting terrorism in a difficult situation, but human rights had to be protected at all costs.
The killing of two Dutch nationals by the Border Security Force (BSF) on Sunday in Srinagar has embarrassed both the Centre and the State Government. The Netherlands Embassy has taken up the matter with the External Affairs Ministry.
Even as the BSF officers looked upbeat over the foiling of another `fidayeen' attack, there is another version doing the rounds, which says a `verbal duel' between the Dutch nationals and the BSF personnel preceded the shooting. Police sources told The Hindu that it was beyond doubt that El Bakiowli and El Hassnowi Khalid had arrived in Srinagar as tourists. But why were they shot?
Though many stories are circulating, police sources said only one sounded credible. ``The tourists, who were on their way to a local mosque, took umbrage at the molestation of a local woman by a BSF patrol party and entered into an argument with them,'' the sources said adding that the duo pulled out their daggers when the BSF personnel pointed their guns at them. This was thought to be a `fidayeen' attack by the BSF authorities, they said.
``Fidayeen do not come with just knives,'' a police officer said. A Hindi TV news channel had branded the Dutch nationals as members of the Al-Qaeda network. They had arrived in Srinagar on January 6 with valid passports and visas and were staying in a houseboat on Dal Lake.
When contacted, the Press Attache at the Netherlands Embassy in New Delhi, Robert Aarsse, said that the matter had been taken up with the Government of India'' and ``we are waiting for the report''. Dr. Aarsse said that an Embassy official was being sent to Srinagar for getting the bodies so that these could be sent to their homes in the Netherlands. ``The State Government has initiated an inquiry and were awaiting official communication from the Government,'' he said.
The Kashmir Bar Association, the Human Rights Front and the All-Party Hurriyat Conference have condemned the killing and urged the international human rights bodies to investigate the matter.
`Dutchman no terrorist'
HAGUE, JAN. 15. The brother of one of the Dutch nationals shot dead in Jammu and Kashmir by the security forces said in a newspaper today that his late sibling was not involved in terrorism.
``All these rumours of an extremist link have caused us a lot of pain,'' the brother of Khalid El Hassnowi told De Telegraaf.``My brother was absolutely not a terrorist. He was not a criminal.``
Local media and human rights activists say the two tourists were killed after an argument with the BSF personnel turned into a scuffle. - AFP
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