Rajendra Panchal's Journey: How a Pune Man's Medical Condition Became Fodder for Online Racial Attacks

Rajendra Panchal's image is frequently utilized in racist online attacks targeting Indians.

Contemporary social media platforms have evolved into breeding grounds for anti-India sentiment, with anonymous psychological operation accounts from both the subcontinent and Western sources regularly sharing derogatory, xenophobic, and racist content. A common tactic employed in racist attacks against Indians involves circulating a photograph of a man whose physical characteristics are mocked to imply that the average Indian shares these features.

The individual whose photograph is widely distributed by racist accounts is Rajendra Panchal from Pune. When Panchal was just one year old, he experienced a facial injury after falling while walking, which damaged and misaligned his jaw. Due to financial constraints, his parents were unable to provide adequate medical treatment. As a result, young Panchal's jaw fused in place, restricting his mouth opening to approximately 1.5 cm—a rare condition known as Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) ankylosis.

For 38 years, Panchal endured significant hardship, being unable to consume solid food and surviving exclusively on liquid and semi-solid nutrition. This dietary limitation resulted in malnourishment. Finally, in 2017, he underwent a surgical procedure at MA Rangoonwala College of Dental Sciences and Research Centre, where maxillofacial surgeon Dr. Sameer Garde performed the operation at no cost to restore Panchal's jaw functionality.

"This represents an unusual case. Typically, such conditions are diagnosed and treated promptly. However, in this instance, the patient has lived with the condition for 38 years, making it extraordinarily rare," Dr. Garde remarked at the time.

"The surgical procedure lasted over four hours, during which we released his fused skull bone and achieved a satisfactory mouth opening of 45 millimeters."

Social media posts have highlighted Panchal's story: "The Indian meme guy is Rajendra Panchal from Pune. At age 1, he fell on his face and misaligned his jaw. His parents couldn't afford medical attention. His jaw fused together, causing speech difficulties and forcing him to subsist on a liquid diet for 38 years. In 2018, he finally received surgical treatment."

The racism directed at Indians extends beyond individual online posts. Recently, American cryptocurrency prediction market Polymarket published a now-deleted post containing ethnic slurs. The post reportedly used racial insults while accusing users from India, Nigeria, and Turkey of misrepresenting their gender.

Neal Kumar, Chief Legal Officer for the company, addressed the incident on social media, offering an apology and stating that the company "takes full responsibility."

"The post earlier this week from an unofficial Company account was unacceptable, and we take full responsibility. As an Indian American, researching the history of the term was deeply troubling," Kumar stated.

"I've consistently found that engagement proves more effective than outrage, and believe this stemmed from misunderstanding rather than hatred. Engaging in uncomfortable conversations to foster mutual understanding is a practice we should all embrace, and we participated in such a discussion this week to strengthen our organization. We apologize for the hurt caused and commit to improving our practices."