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New Delhi: In the ancient, labyrinthine streets of Pushkar, the spiritual heart of Rajasthan and home to the world’s only Brahma temple, a quiet geopolitical friction has boiled over into police action. The town know as a “mini-Israel,” became the center of a diplomatic fallout this week as Rajasthan police served “leave India” notices to two British tourists. The duo’s attempt to bring the Gaza conflict to the Pushkar has ended their journey.

The two UK nationals, both in their 30s, reportedly printed nine posters carrying the slogans “Free Palestine Boycott Israel” and pasted them across prominent areas of the town. According to Additional Superintendent of Police (CID, Ajmer Zone) Rajesh Meena, the move was immediately flagged due to Pushkar’s high presence of Israeli visitors and the presence of a Chabad House (a Jewish community center).

British tourists pasted posters in Pushkar 

After a CID investigation, the tourists, who arrived in India on tourist visas in January, were brought in for questioning. While they offered an apology, authorities made it clear that political activism is a direct violation of tourist visa conditions. “The tourists had come here on a tourist visa in January. They had come to Pushkar directly from Delhi. Since Pushkar has a lot of Israelis and also has a Chabad House (a synagogue), the tourists condemned Israel in the context of the Palestine-Israel conflict and pasted posters on the walls here. Our CID investigated and brought them in for questioning,” Meena was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

‘Depart the country at the earliest’

The Foreigners Registration Office (FRO) in Ajmer served the formal notice on Monday, demanding the, to depart the country “at the earliest.” While they remain in Pushkar for now, they have informed officials they are currently booking return flights to avoid further legal repercussions.

For many travelers from Israel, Pushkar is not a foreign land but a home-away-from-home. It is a place where the local shopkeepers and hoteliers are often fluent in Hebrew, and the scent of traditional Israeli food wafts from rooftop restaurants. This is a primary destination for Israelis, particularly those retiring after mandatory military service.

Pushkar-Israel bond under scrutiny

However, this bond has recently come under intense scrutiny from domestic critics. The ousting of the British tourists follows a firestorm involving social media influencers Shrishti Khanna and Prashant Pundir. The duo released a viral video criticising the massive influx of Israeli soldiers, estimated between 30,000 and 80,000 annually, who travel to India following military operations.

“Where do Israeli soldiers go after killing babies in Gaza? They come here, to India,” Khanna said in the clip, arguing that the presence of the IDF and Zionists in India’s “backyard” makes the Palestinian cause a local concern.

“So, when some say the Palestinian cause does not concern our motherland,” they conclude, “the truth is that the IDF and the Zionists are literally in our backyard.”

Rape threats for speaking against genocide in GAza

These influencers faced backlash from right wing Hindu groups. Khanna, who comes from a Hindu background, reported receiving rape threats and relentless intimidation from right-wing trolls who view support for Palestine as a sectarian issue.

Shrishti Khanna employment terminated by Tickle Right, informed to us by their lawyers on call, however, we are still waiting for official statement from Tickle Right.
Post from her partner in crime Prashant also confirms the same. https://t.co/6YsQz0oS5I pic.twitter.com/Ho07Lt0KPX

— Hindu IT Cell (@HinduITCell) December 18, 2025

The controversy reached a breaking point when the right-wing account @HinduITCell targeted Khanna’s employer, Tickle Right. The account later claimed that the company’s lawyers confirmed Khanna had been terminated from her job, though an official statement remains pending.