Talking about “systemic racism”, Prakash says: “The department also refused to grant us Master’s degrees that PhD students are awarded enroute the PhD. The “discriminatory treatment and ongoing retaliation”, Prakash and Bhattacheryya said, caused them “emotional distress, mental anguish, and pain and suffering”. In a statement to The Indian Express, university spokesperson Deborah Mendez-Wilson said: “The university reached an agreement with the plaintiffs and denies any liability. Story continues below this adThen came the food heating episode, and everything changed overnight. “If this case can send out a message that this (‘food racism’) cannot be practised with impunity, that we, as Indians, will fight back, that would be the real victory,” he adds.

Source: Indian Express January 14, 2026 17:18 UTC