&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Discrimination against Indian? Two PhD students secure $200,000 settlement over 'panner row' at US university")
In a shocking incident, two Indian PhD students filed a civil suit against the University of Colorado Boulder when one of them was denied using the microwave to heat food (palak paneer) due to its “strong smell”. The Indian students were identified as Aditya Prakash and Urmi Bhattacharyya.
When Aditya was refused permission to use the microwave, the university escalated the matter. However, after filing a civil rights lawsuit in a US federal court, the university reportedly agreed to a settlement worth USD 200,000, approximately Rs 1.66 crore.
The scene unfolded at the University of Colorado Boulder in September 2023, when Aditya Prakash, a PhD student from Bhopal, whom a staff member prohibited from reheating palak paneer in a shared microwave, reportedly due to its pungent smell. Following this, Prakash objected to the staff and argued that food preferences and perceptions of odour are culturally defined, according to a report in the Indian Express.
“My food is my pride. What smells good or bad is not universal, it’s culturally determined,” Prakash said. He reportedly questioned in related to restrictions on foods like broccoli. “Context matters. How many communities face racism because they eat broccoli?” he asked.
The episode proved to be a turning point in what both described as an otherwise trouble-free academic path. They said the first year of their doctoral studies passed smoothly. Prakash secured research grants and institutional support, while Urmi Bhattacharya, 35, from Kolkata, received academic recognition for her research on marital rape.
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A civil rights lawsuit in a US federal court
Bhattacharya alleged that shortly after the incident involving Prakash and food, her teaching assistantship was withdrawn without any advance notice or explanation. She further claimed that when she and other students brought Indian food to campus again two days later, they were accused of “inciting a riot”. Those complaints were later dropped, she said.
Prakash and Bhattacharya further claimed that these actions amounted to retaliation for raising concerns about discrimination. They subsequently filed a civil rights lawsuit in a US federal court, alleging that informal food restrictions and the disciplinary steps that followed unfairly targeted South Asian students.
In response, an agreement of a settlement worth USD 200,000, nearly Rs 1.66 crore, was signed between them and the university without admitting liability. Under the terms of the settlement, both scholars were given Master’s degrees that they said had been withheld during the dispute. However, the agreement prevents them from returning to the university in any capacity, either as students or employees.
