Indian PhD scholars win Rs 1.66 crore settlement in US campus dispute over food bias

A dispute over reheating Indian food at a US university has culminated in a substantial civil rights settlement, after two Indian doctoral scholars accused campus authorities of cultural discrimination and retaliatory action.

The case stems from a September 2023 incident at the University of Colorado Boulder, where Aditya Prakash, a PhD scholar from Bhopal, was allegedly prevented by a staff member from reheating palak paneer in a shared microwave, citing concerns over its “strong smell”. Prakash objected to the intervention, arguing that perceptions of odour are shaped by culture and should not be used to police food choices in shared spaces.

The episode marked a sharp shift in what both scholars described as otherwise successful academic tenures. Prakash had received institutional grants and research funding during his initial year, while fellow doctoral candidate Urmi Bhattacharya from Kolkata had earned academic recognition for her research on marital rape.

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According to Bhattacharya, events took a turn shortly after the food-related confrontation. She alleged that her teaching assistantship was withdrawn without explanation and that when she and other students brought Indian food to campus again days later, they were accused of attempting to “incite a riot”. Those complaints were later dismissed, she said, but the disciplinary process left lasting consequences.

The two scholars claimed that the actions taken against them amounted to retaliation after they raised concerns about discriminatory treatment. They subsequently filed a civil rights lawsuit in a US federal court, arguing that informal food restrictions and disciplinary responses unfairly targeted South Asian students and reinforced cultural bias within the institution.

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The legal challenge concluded with the university agreeing to a settlement of USD 200,000, roughly Rs 1.66 crore, without admitting wrongdoing. As part of the agreement, both Prakash and Bhattacharya were awarded Master’s degrees, which they said had been withheld during the dispute. However, the settlement prevents them from returning to the university in any academic or professional capacity.

The case has drawn wider attention to questions of cultural inclusion on US campuses, particularly around everyday practices such as food, and the consequences students may face when challenging perceived discrimination.