How palak paneer led to Rs 1.66 cr settlement for Indian students in US

The dispute was not over a political argument or different ideologies; it was about reheating an Indian dish, palak paneer, in the campus kitchen. It subsequently resulted in a civil rights lawsuit in the US.

Two Indian doctoral students at the University of Colorado Boulder secured a Rs 1.66 crore settlement in a US campus discrimination case. The row began over heating a palak paneer lunch and escalated into allegations of discrimination, followed by a civil rights lawsuit. Aditya Prakash was pursuing a PhD in the anthropology department of the university, and his partner, Urmi Bhattacheryya, was a fellow PhD student at the time of the incident. So, how did a minor kitchen exchange take a much bigger turn? We take a look.

The palak paneer row

With middle-class backgrounds, obtaining admission to the University of Colorado Boulder was a dream come true for Prakash, who hailed from Bhopal, and Bhattacheryya, who hailed from Kolkata. “We put all our savings into this," they told The Indian Express. Their first year passed smoothly without any incident. Prakash got grants and funding, and Bhattacheryya’s research work on issues related to marital rape was also positively received. However, the episode on campus linked to their Indian meal changed everything overnight.

About a year after joining the university, on September 5, 2023, Prakash was warming his palak paneer lunch at a microwave provided for students on campus. During that time, a staff member approached him and complained about the odour of his food. Prakash was told not to use the microwave to heat his food. The staff asserted, “The smell is pungent,” Aditya Prakash, now 34, recounted the incident. “I remained calm and told her it’s just food. I’m heating it and leaving.”

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The anthropology student stood his ground and tried to argue, “My food is my pride. And notions about what smells good or bad to someone are culturally determined,” he said, according to a report in The Indian Express.

However, the argument continued. He was told that heating broccoli was barred because of the strong smell. Prakash replied, “The context matters… how many groups of people do you know who face racism because they eat broccoli?”

However, according to Prakash, that brief exchange in the kitchen was the beginning of “a pattern of discrimination and retaliation.” The situation worsened after the incident. Senior faculty summoned him repeatedly, and Prakash was told that he made staff “feel unsafe", and even a complaint was lodged against him with the Office of Student Conduct, News18 reported.

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Prakash was not the only one facing the heat. Urmi Bhattacheryya alleged that she lost her teaching assistantship without any prior notice, warnings, or explanation. She claimed that action was taken against her after she invited Prakash to speak in a class on ethnocentrism about his lived experience. However, she did not name any specific individuals or provide details about the incident.

She said, “When other students and I brought Indian food to campus days after the incident, we were accused of inciting a riot.” However, those complaints were subsequently dismissed, Bhattacheryya confirmed.

Lawsuit over discrimination and crores in settlement

Prakash stated that they decided to pursue legal action when the University of Colorado Boulder’s anthropology department refused to grant them Master’s degrees, which PhD students are awarded en route to the doctoral. According to The Indian Express report, in May 2025, Prakash and Bhattacheryya filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Colorado, alleging discrimination and retaliation.

The lawsuit cited a departmental kitchen policy on campus, which, according to them, had “disproportionate and discriminatory impact on ethnic groups like South Asians," News18 reported. “The discriminatory treatment and ongoing retaliation caused us emotional distress, mental anguish, and pain and suffering."

The University of Colorado Boulder settled with Prakash and his partner, Urmi Bhattacheryya, in September 2025, following the lawsuit. The duo was paid $200,000 (Rs 1.66 crore) and conferred upon them Master’s degrees. However, the settlement came at a cost. Both Prakash and Bhattacheryya are prohibited from taking future admission or employment at the university.

“The university reached an agreement with the plaintiffs and denies any liability. The university has established processes to address allegations of discrimination and harassment, and it adhered to those processes in this matter. CU Boulder remains committed to fostering an inclusive environment for students, faculty and staff,” University spokesperson Deborah Mendez told The Indian Express.

Fighting ‘food racism’

Earlier this month, Prakash and Bhattacheryya finally returned to India.

“There is a hardening, a kind of narrowing of empathy. Institutions talk a lot about inclusion, but there is less patience for discomfort, especially if that discomfort comes from immigrants or people of colour,” said Bhattacheryya while pointing out political shifts in the US after Donald Trump’s return to power.

“For international students, the message wasn’t always explicit, but it was there: you are here conditionally, and you can be made to feel that very quickly,” the Indian Express quoted Bhattacheryya as saying.

Today, neither is inclined to return to the United States. “Going back would mean re-entering the same system, with the same visa precarity," Prakash said, adding, “I don’t see myself going back."

“This case sends a message that this (‘food racism’) cannot be practised with impunity. We Indians will fight back; that would be the real victory,” he concluded.

With inputs from agencies