America: The smell of spinach and cheese and the Indian couple’s fight against caste discrimination: Know interesting stories
Colorado, America, January 14, 2026: an Indian couple’s fight against racial discrimination Foreigners are all inclusive and discrimination This has become an eye-opener for those who say that this happens only in India. The Indian couple had to fight a long legal battle over the spinach-cheese issue. Ultimately he won, but now he has left America and come to India.
What is the whole incident?
On September 5, 2022, almost a year after joining the Department of Anthropology at the University of Colorado Boulder as a PhD student, Aditya Prakash was heating his lunch — spinach and cheese — in the department’s microwave. He had no idea that this normal process would turn into an incident which he would call ‘racist’.
That day, a university staff member approached 34-year-old Aditya, objected to the “smell” of the food, and instructed him not to use the microwave to heat his food. According to the report, the staff member had described this smell as very pungent. According to Prakash, he remained calm and replied, “This is just food, I am warming it and leaving.” But matters did not stop here.
Allegations of confusion by the University:
Aditya Prakash alleges that after this incident, he was repeatedly called to meetings with senior faculty, accused of “making staff feel unsafe” and a complaint was filed against him in the Office of Student Conduct. His partner Urmi Bhattacharya, also a PhD student, alleged that she was removed from the post of teaching assistant without any prior notice. Not only this, when he brought Indian food with other students, he was also accused of “inciting a riot”.
Victory in legal battle and settlement of $200,000:
when UniversityWhen the couple refused to give them the master’s degree they were getting during their PhD, the couple took the legal route. In September 2025, a settlement was reached between the University of Colorado Boulder and the couple following a civil rights lawsuit. Accordingly, the university agreed to pay $200,000 (approximately ₹1.67 crore) to the couple. Both were awarded their Master’s Degree. However, along with this, a shocking condition was also imposed that he would never be able to get admission or job in this university in future.
The lawsuit also pointed to the department’s kitchen policy, stating that such policies have a discriminatory impact on ethnic groups such as South Asians, causing many Indians to hesitate in opening lunchboxes in public places.
As per the last report, the couple returned to India permanently earlier this month. A university spokesperson said they were committed to providing an inclusive environment for all, but refused to accept any responsibility in the matter.
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