Twenty-three members of the European Union Parliament visited Srinagar in Jammu & Kashmir on October 29 to take stock of the situation in the Valley. The Indian government withdrew Jammu & Kashmir’s special status on August 5, and severe restrictions on the movement of people and communication have been imposed since then.

The EU delegation took a ride on shikaras (houseboats) on Dal Lake. Curated videos and photos of the exercise have surfaced on social media, with delegates chatting and laughing while on the shikaras. Not surprisingly, none of these featured any local people in the vicinity.