US University Reaches Rs 1.8 Crore Settlement With Indian PhD Students Over Alleged Discrimination Linked to Heating Palak Paneer

Colorado, 15th January 2026: What began as a simple lunch of palak paneer in a shared university microwave has culminated in a years-long dispute, ending with two Indian doctoral students leaving the United States and receiving a $200,000 (approximately Rs 1.8 crore) settlement from the University of Colorado Boulder.

On September 5, 2023, Aditya Prakash, a fully funded PhD student in anthropology, was heating his lunch in a departmental microwave when a staff member approached him, complaining about the “smell” and instructing him not to use the facility. “She said it was pungent,” said Prakash, 34, who has since returned to India. “I told her calmly, ‘It’s just food. I’m heating it and leaving.’”

According to Prakash and his partner, fellow PhD student Urmi Bhattacheryya, this seemingly minor incident marked the beginning of a series of discriminatory actions and retaliatory measures. The couple filed a federal civil rights lawsuit, claiming the department’s policies disproportionately targeted South Asian students and discouraged them from bringing ethnic food into shared spaces.

“The discriminatory treatment and ongoing retaliation caused us emotional distress, mental anguish, and pain and suffering,” the lawsuit stated.

Following the lawsuit, the university agreed in September 2025 to a $200,000 settlement. The agreement also conferred Master’s degrees on both students and bars them from future enrollment or employment at the institution. Earlier this month, the couple returned to India permanently.

Prakash, originally from Bhopal, and Bhattacheryya, from Kolkata, said their first year in the doctoral programme proceeded without incident. Prakash received research grants, while Bhattacheryya’s work on marital rape earned recognition. “Everything changed overnight after that food-heating episode,” Prakash said. “My food is my pride. Ideas about what smells good or bad are culturally determined.”

The lawsuit detailed several incidents following the microwave episode, including repeated summons to meetings with senior faculty, allegations that Prakash made staff “feel unsafe,” and complaints filed against him with the Office of Student Conduct. Bhattacheryya alleged she lost her teaching assistantship without explanation and faced accusations of “inciting a riot” after bringing Indian food to campus two days later, though those complaints were eventually dismissed.

The students also highlighted a perceived double standard. “Other foods, like broccoli, are also subject to odor restrictions. Context matters,” Prakash said. “How many groups face racism because they eat broccoli?”

Support came from 29 fellow anthropology students, who issued a statement criticizing the department’s response to Indian food as “harmful” and discriminatory. The statement cited the department’s own policies on systemic racism, emphasizing that diversity should be “celebrated, not merely tolerated.”

This settlement underscores broader concerns about cultural bias and discrimination faced by international students in US universities, highlighting how even routine activities such as preparing ethnic food can become flashpoints for institutional prejudice.