Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 05:15pm on 14 Jan 2026,Wednesday India Global
Two Indian PhD students at University of Colorado Boulder won a $200,000 (₹1.8 crore) civil rights settlement after facing discrimination over cooking Indian food. Aditya Prakash, 34, was confronted in September 2023 about palak paneer's "pungent smell" while heating lunch in a departmental microwave. His partner, Urmi Bhattacheryya, 35, supported him and was subsequently fired from her teaching assistant position without explanation. The university withheld their master's degrees and created a hostile environment. Their lawsuit argued the reaction to cultural food manifested "systemic bias" against international students. In September 2025, the university settled, paying $200,000 and conferring degrees, though barring future enrollment or employment. (PC: Instagram)
