Overview
- Two Indian anthropology PhD students reached a September 2025 settlement with CU Boulder that included a $200,000 payout and Master’s degrees, along with a bar on future enrollment or employment.
- The case has resurfaced in January reporting as Aditya Prakash and Urmi Bhattacharyya confirmed they have moved back to India permanently.
- Their federal complaint, filed in May 2025, alleged discrimination and escalating retaliation after a September 5, 2023 dispute over heating palak paneer in a departmental microwave.
- The lawsuit cited a kitchen policy the plaintiffs said disproportionately targeted South Asian foods, and they noted campus conduct complaints were later dismissed.
- University spokesperson Deborah Mendez-Wilson confirmed an agreement and denied liability, while 29 department peers publicly supported the students’ criticism of the response.