Warning: This report contains accounts of sexual assault and violence that some readers may find distressing. Ramia was preparing for a family picnic, on a warm summer day in her village in Latakia province in western Syria, when a white car drove up, she said
Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here in the national capital. Pichai is here for the Global AI Impact Summit 2026 and will deliver the keynote address on February 20 at the summit. New Delhi: Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra
The back-and-forth between the WNBA and the WNBA Players Association has taken another turn. On Tuesday afternoon, the WNBPA submitted a new counterproposal, only to have it shot down yet again by the league, as negotiations intensify ahead of the new season
The leadership has made it clear that performance and public perception will be key criteria in deciding nominations The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is preparing for a major organisational overhaul in Assam ahead of the assembly elections
An avalanche in California's Lake Tahoe region has left 10 backcountry skiers missing, authorities say, with six more people stranded and awaiting rescue. The avalanche was reported about 11:30PST (19:30GMT) in the Castle Peak area near the town of Truckee
Political and strategic considerations will overshadow economic ones in the choices that countries make going forward, Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar said on Tuesday (February 17, 2026). Speaking at the Global Economic Cooperation 2026 summit organised by the Future Economic Cooperation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday met with Spanish President Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón at Hyderabad House in New Delhi amid high-level engagements at the ongoing India AI Impact Summit 2026. The meeting between the two leaders followed President Sanchez’s arrival in the national
Warner Bros Discovery is in talks with Paramount Skydance Corp. for a potential takeover. The Ellison family's bid has seen a slight increase. Warner boss David Zaslav is negotiating to secure the best possible deal for shareholders. Paramount needs to address remaining concerns to surpass
The Indian couple who won a $200,000 settlement over 'food racism' at US university
The Indian couple who won a $200,000 settlement over 'food racism' at US university
A dispute that began over heating a dish in a microwave has ended with two Indian students winning a $200,000 settlement from a US university.
Aditya Prakash and his fiancee, Urmi Bhattacheryya, told the BBC they filed a civil rights lawsuit against the University of Colorado, Boulder, after they faced a series of "microaggressions and retaliatory actions" following the microwave incident.
The harassment began, the lawsuit alleged, after a university staff member objected to Prakash heating up his lunch of palak paneer - one of northern India's most popular dishes, made of pureed spinach and paneer (considered an Indian equivalent of cottage cheese) - in a microwave on campus, because of the way it smelled.
In response to the BBC's questions, the university said it could not comment on the "specific circumstances" surrounding the students' claims of discrimination and harassment due to privacy laws, but added it was "committed to fostering an inclusive environment for all students, faculty and staff regardless of national origin, religion, culture and other classes protected under US laws and by university policies".
"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 [2025] and deny any liability in this case," the university said.
Prakash said for them, the point of the lawsuit was not the money. "It was about making a point - that there are consequences to discriminating against Indians for their 'Indianness'."
The lawsuit has received significant media coverage in India since it was first reported last week, starting a conversation around what many have described as "food racism" in Western countries. Many Indians on social media have shared their own experiences of facing ridicule over their food habits abroad.
Some have also pointed out that discrimination over food is rampant in India as well, where non-vegetarian food is banned in many schools and colleges over perceptions of it being impure or dirty. People from disadvantaged castes and north-eastern states often face bias over their food habits, with some complaining about the smell of the ingredients they use.
And it's not just Indian or South Asian food - communities from Africa, Latin America and other parts of Asia have also shared their experiences of being shamed over their food habits.
Prakash and Bhattacheryya claim their ordeal began in September 2023. Prakash, a PhD student in the Anthropology Department at the university, was microwaving his lunch of palak paneer when a British staff member allegedly remarked that his food was giving off a "pungent" odour and told him that there was a rule against heating foods with strong odours in that microwave.
Prakash said the rule wasn't mentioned anywhere and when he later inquired about which foods were considered pungent, he was told that sandwiches were not, while curry was.
Prakash alleged that the exchange was followed by a series of actions by the university which led to him and Bhattacheryya - who was also a PhD student there - losing their research funding, teaching roles and even the PhD advisers they had worked with for months.
In May 2025, Prakash and Bhattacheryya filed a lawsuit against the university, alleging discriminatory treatment and a "pattern of escalating retaliation" against them.
In September, the university settled the lawsuit. Such settlements are usually arrived at to avoid lengthy and expensive court battles for both parties.
According to the terms of the settlement, the university agreed to give the students their degrees but denied all liabilities and banned them from studying or working there in future.
In its statement shared with the BBC, the university added: "CU Boulder's Anthropology Department has worked to rebuild trust among students, faculty and staff. Among other efforts, department leaders met with graduate students, faculty and staff to listen and discuss changes that best support the department's efforts to foster an inclusive and supportive environment for all."
"Individuals who are determined to be responsible for violating university policies preventing discrimination and harassment are held accountable," it added.
Prakash says that this isn't his first brush with discrimination over food.
When he was growing up in Italy, his school teachers would often ask him to sit at a separate table during lunch breaks because his classmates found the smell of his food "off-putting", he says.
"Acts like isolating me from my European classmates or stopping me from using a shared microwave because of how my food smells are how white people control your Indianness and shrink the spaces you can exist in," he says.
He adds that there is a long history of food being used to put down Indian and other ethnic groups.
"The word 'curry' has been conflated with the 'smell' of marginalised communities who toil in kitchens and peoples' homes and has been turned into a pejorative term for 'Indian'," he says.
Bhattacheryya says that even someone like former Vice-President Kamala Harris isn't immune to being insulted over food.
She points to a 2024 social media post by far-right activist Laura Loomer saying that if Harris became president, the White House "will smell like curry". Loomer has denied being racist.
In the lawsuit, Bhattacheryya also alleged she faced retaliation after she invited Prakash to speak as a guest lecturer on the topic of cultural relativism in her anthropology class. Cultural relativism is the view that no culture is superior or inferior to another as cultural practices of all groups exist within their own cultural context.
During the lecture, Prakash says he shared several examples of food racism he had encountered, including the palak paneer incident, without naming anyone.
Bhattacheryya says that she also faced racist abuse when she posted a thread on X about the "systemic racism" she and Prakash were facing at the university in 2024.
Below the post, there are several comments supporting the couple but also ones that said, "go back to India", "decolonisation was a mistake" and "it's not just the food, many of you don't bathe and we know".
Prakash and Bhattacheryya said what they wanted from the university was to be heard and understood; for their hurt and pain at being "othered" to be acknowledged and for amends to be made in a meaningful way.
They claim that they never received a meaningful apology from the university. The university did not respond to the BBC's question about this.
They have since returned to India and say that they might never go back to the US.
"No matter how good you are at what you do, the system is constantly telling you that because of your skin colour or your nationality, you can be sent back any time. The precarity is acute and our experience at the university is a good example of this," Prakash says.
Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, X and Facebook.
Source: BBC
Related Posts: ECI suspends 7 officials in Bengal over Trump asks Iran to be ‘reasonable’ in next round of talks over nuclear deal SC questions centre over Sonam Wangchuk's transcript Tamil Nadu Congress Chief Meets Kharge Over Hyatt Hotels chairman steps down over Jeffrey Epstein ties Infosys stock rises over 3% after strategic tie-up with Anthropic BNP, Jamaat Face Off At Bangladesh Oath-Taking Over Reform Council Pledge Nepal clinch historic seven-wicket over Scotland Galgotias University asked to vacate AI Impact Summit Expo stall over Chinese ‘robotic dog’ row US Deploys Over 50 Jets To West Asia Amid Tensions
For the fourth time in less than two weeks, a sea of red and blue descended on the Wankhede Stadium. And it turned out to be a case of fourth-time lucky for Nepal as it ended its T20 World Cup sojourn by gifting the 19,000-odd fans a much-anticipated win against Scotland
1 days ago
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said his net worth is almost entirely due to... New Delhi: Even as Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is another step towards becoming the world’s first trillionaire, the US entrepreneur said that the actual amount of cash he is sitting on is much lesser
1 days ago
One of the biggest changes is the renumbering of several commonly used tax documents, including salary and tax-credit statements used by millions of taxpayers. New Delhi: The government has proposed major changes to income-tax compliance forms under the Income-tax Act, 2025
1 days ago
Pakistan's water crisis to worsen with approaching summers as India plans to halt excess Ravi river water flow to Pakistan with the completion of Shahpur Kandi barrage. Pakistan’s water crisis is deepening amid the Indus Waters Treaty suspension and is not going to end soon
1 days ago
A clip circulating on X (formerly Twitter) has once again brought attention to an old but persistent exam-time practice where students slip currency notes inside answer sheets during board exams. Though authorities have repeatedly warned against it and tightened monitoring
1 days ago
Vikrant Massey and Sheetal Thakur had been together for several years, officially registered their marriage on February 14, 2022, before hosting a traditional wedding ceremony on February 18, of the same year. New Delhi: Actor Vikrant Massey marked his fourth wedding anniversary with wife Sheetal
1 days ago
French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron met Bollywood stars in Mumbai, the delegation will travel to Delhi for the India AI Impact Summit 2026. Mumbai: Grammy Award winner Ricky Kej met French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron in Mumbai on Tuesday
1 days ago
The United States has significantly increased its military presence in West Asia, deploying dozens of fighter jets to the region amid rising tensions with Iran and ongoing indirect nuclear negotiations in Geneva. The developments come alongside strong warnings from Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah
1 days ago
After a relatively chaotic first day on Monday (February 16, 2026), the AI Impact Summit saw smoother operations on Tuesday (February 17, 2026), with more areas opened to attendees and fewer surges of crowding, even as turnout remained strong. Students bused in from local colleges, schools
1 days ago
A widespread YouTube outage on Tuesday disrupted video access worldwide, including India and the US. YouTube suffered a widespread outage on Tuesday, halting video access for users across multiple countries, including India and the United States
1 days ago
Tech giant Microsoft on Wednesday announced at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi that the company is on pace to invest $50 billion by the end of the decade to help the Global South access artificial intelligence (AI)."Our five-part program is designed to make AI diffusion real at scale
1 days ago
A massive wildfire emergency has unfolded across the US Plains. In the northwestern part of Oklahoma, a fast-moving fire on the southwest side of Woodward forced evacuations on Tuesday. Wind gusts near 60 mph pushed flames through the red cedar-filled neighbourhoods
1 days ago
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday claimed that then Congress president Sonia Gandhi had asked him to decide on the date for his swearing in as CM when 58 party MLAs had supported him back in 2014. Sharing what he called his “days of distress" in the Congress
1 days ago
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has called the AI Summit a disorganized PR spectacle. He alleged that Chinese products were displayed at the event. This comes amid controversy over a robotic dog at the summit. Critics claim it was a Chinese-made product, not an Indian innovation
1 days ago
The Delhi Traffic Police has launched a dedicated ‘Digital Lok Adalat’ system to make the traffic challan settlement easier for the citizens, making the process quicker and more convenient. This initiative, introduced in collaboration with the Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) and
1 days ago
India is discussing age-based restrictions with social media companies, IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said Tuesday, following moves by Australia and other countries to ban young teens from popular platforms. Vaishnaw, speaking at a global artificial intelligence conference in New Delhi
1 days ago
Gold Rate Today: Gold retreats from record highs as 24K prices fall and futures dip on MCX. Check today’s city-wise rates and expert insights. Gold Rate Today: Gold prices have taken a breather after scaling record highs, with fresh data showing a noticeable dip in both domestic and global
1 days ago
A new leak has offered a closer look at the upcoming Infinix GT 50 Pro, pointing to design changes and hardware upgrades over last year’s gaming-focused model. The smartphone, from Infinix, has surfaced in alleged renders alongside a detailed specification sheet shared by tipsters online
1 days ago
Nissan Gravite vs Maruti Suzuki Ertiga: The Gravite’s smaller engine may feel underpowered, particularly when the car is loaded with seven people and luggage. In contrast, the Ertiga’s larger engine make it more practical for real-world family use and long-distance driving
1 days ago
Ameesha Patel has been issued a non-bailable warrant by a Moradabad court in connection with a 2017 fraud case, she is accused of accepting money for a wedding performance and issuing a cheque that later bounced. Legal trouble has resurfaced for Ameesha Patel as a Moradabad court issued a
1 days ago
The Ministry of Education on Tuesday organised a special session titled “Ministry of Education – Pushing the Frontier of AI in India" at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi as part of the India AI Impact Summit 2026. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan attended the session
1 days ago
The reactor involved was Ward 250, which belongs to a new class of compact microreactors. Washington: The United States has carried out an operation that has drawn global attention in the field of advanced energy technology. A nuclear reactor moved through the sky
1 days ago
Beyond the mines: Archaeologists uncover a massive 3,000-year-old gold processing city in Egypt’s Eastern Desert. Discover the ancient smelting furnaces, residential districts, and the 628 'Ostraca' library fragments rewriting history.Beyond the mines: Archaeologists uncover a massive 3
1 days ago
Even as debate around AI intensifies across industries, concerns about the technology are also growing. In an interview with CNN-News18 at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales discusses artificial intelligence, misinformation risks, open-source innovation
1 days ago
PAK vs NAM live streaming, match time, broadcasters and weather update as Pakistan fight for Super 8 qualification. Pakistan face Namibia in a high-stakes ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 clash on February 18 at the Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo, with Super 8 qualification hanging in the balance
1 days ago
Salim Khan Health Updates: On Tuesday night, Bollywood superstar Salman Khan was seen leaving the Lilavati Hospital where his 90-year-old father and veteran screenwriter Salim Khan has been admitted following complaints of swelling. The actor stepped out of the hospital premises late at night and
1 days ago
New Delhi: Massive traffic congestion hit several parts of the national capital as global leaders arrived for the high level AI summit. New Delhi: Heavy traffic congestion was reported across several key routes in the national capital as global leaders arrived to attend the high-profile AI summit
1 days ago
