7 months ago
Indian Students Settle Discrimination Case with US University
Two Indian students studying in the USA said their university was mean to them because of their food.
They said the university didn't like when they heated Indian food in the office microwave.
The students felt sad and left the university without finishing their studies.
They got some money as a settlement, but they had to promise not to study or work at the university again.
They wanted to speak up because they believe everyone should be able to eat their own food without being judged.
Two Indian PhD students accused the University of Colorado Boulder of systemic racism and discrimination.
The incident began when a student heated palak paneer in the office microwave, prompting negative comments.
The students faced institutional harassment, including the revocation of their funding and removal from teaching roles.
They received a $200,000 settlement but had to withdraw their complaints and cannot study or work at the university in the future.
The university denied any liability but confirmed that they took the allegations seriously and followed established processes.
- Who
- Aditya Prakash and Urmi Bhattacheryya, Indian PhD students at the University of Colorado Boulder
- What
- Alleged systemic racism and discrimination, leading to a $200,000 settlement
- Where
- University of Colorado Boulder, USA
- When
- Incident began on September 5, 2023; settlement reached in September 2025
- Why
- Alleged discrimination over food choices and institutional harassment
Key facts
- Students
- Aditya Prakash and Urmi Bhattacheryya
- University
- University of Colorado Boulder
- Settlement Amount
- $200,000
- Incident Date
- September 5, 2023
- Settlement Date
- September 2025
- Allegations
- Systemic racism and discrimination
- Outcome
- Withdrawn complaints, returned to India without PhDs
Quotes
Aditya Prakash
One of the PhD students who accused the University of Colorado Boulder of systemic racism and discrimination
“different food is just that — different”
telegraphindia.com
“I felt hurt and diminished. I tried to reason that we need to co-exist... the palak paneer had turned to ash in my mouth”
telegraphindia.com
Urmi Bhattacheryya
One of the PhD students who accused the University of Colorado Boulder of systemic racism and discrimination
“We believe that this was an important case to fight -- not just for us and our right to eat and exist in common, shared spaces, but also as people of cultures with ‘foods’ that are deemed ‘different’, ‘other’, even though an anthropology department studies just that”
telegraphindia.com
“We have chosen to return without our PhDs, but feel like our voices must be heard for greater reach at such a sensitive time in the US”
telegraphindia.com
Deborah Méndez-Wilson
Spokesperson for issues management at the University of Colorado Boulder
“When these allegations arose in 2023, we took them seriously and adhered to established, robust processes to address them, as we do with all claims of discrimination and harassment. We reached an agreement with the students in September and deny any liability in this case”
telegraphindia.com
“...Federal student and employee privacy laws prevent us from commenting on the specific circumstances surrounding claims of discrimination and harassment”
telegraphindia.com
