#SayNoToTurkey: Indians urged to boycott ‘terror ally’ Ankara

New Delhi: The mood in India is grim and firm. As Turkey’s drones aid Pakistan’s war machinery and Ankara maintains its anti-India tilt, citizens across the country are making one thing clear: Turkey is no longer welcome on the Indian travel itinerary.

A wave of patriotic indignation swept through Indian social media after Ankara’s Department of Tourism issued a “Public Announcement” on X, attempting to pacify tensions and lure back Indian tourists. 

The statement read like a clumsy olive branch: “The vast majority of the local population is unaware of the conflict… Indian travellers are welcomed with utmost courtesy… Türkiye remains fully committed to ensuring the safety and satisfaction of Indian visitors.”

The damage, however, was already done.

Prominent historian and author Hindol Sengupta minced no words. Sharing the post, he fired back with a searing rebuke:
“Every single Indian… who does not wish to be a namak haram to Mother India, must cancel every plan to go to Turkey. The Erdogan govt hates us and has paid for the killing of our countrymen. Do not give a rupee to Turkey. #SayNoToTurkey.”

Every single Indian in anywhere who has an iota of self respect, who does not wish to be a namak haram to Mother India, must cancel every plan to go to Turkey. The Erdogan govt hates us and have paid for the killing of our countrymen. Do not give a rupee to Turkey. #SayNoToTurkey pic.twitter.com/78GcdQMnyM

— HindolSengupta (@HindolSengupta) May 13, 2025

That message, unapologetically blunt, struck a deep chord with Indians still mourning the 26 lives lost in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which primarily targeted Hindu tourists. 

The subsequent revelation that Turkey had supplied Bayraktar Akinci drones to Pakistan, used in coordinated attacks against Indian positions, added salt to national wounds.

Sengupta wasn’t alone. Security analyst Sushant Sareen echoed the call for a full boycott.

“Turkey is a declared enemy country,” Sareen wrote. “Why would any Indian want to travel to that place? Why does IndiGo do business with these Turk terrorists?”

He didn’t stop there.

“If you must go, visit Israel, where the food and sights are awesome and the people fantastic. Go to Greece, go to Armenia… Go anywhere but to this terrorist-supporting country ruled by a fascist and Islamist kleptocrat Erdogan.”

Turkey is a declared enemy country. Why would any Indian want to travel to that place? Why does @IndiGo6E do business with these Turk terrorists? If you must go, visit Israel which is a friend and where the food and sights are awesome and the people fantastic; go to Greece which… https://t.co/yenQU6tZfy

— sushant sareen (@sushantsareen) May 13, 2025

Just last year, when Turkey was struck by a devastating earthquake, India rushed humanitarian aid through Operation Dost, sending rescue teams, medical aid, and supplies. That goodwill, many Indians now feel, was returned with open hostility and covert sabotage.

This isn’t the first time Turkey has thrown its lot in with Pakistan. Ankara’s consistent support for Islamabad on Kashmir, voiced at the UN, at OIC forums, and through direct military cooperation, has made it one of the few countries in the Islamic world that regularly speaks against India’s sovereignty.

Turkey has “continued to support Pakistan’s claims over Jammu and Kashmir and has often opposed India’s diplomatic ambitions at global forums.”

From influencers to analysts, retired diplomats to retired soldiers, the consensus is unmissable: India doesn’t forget.

And right now, it’s Turkey that’s being crossed off the map.