Palak Paneer Row : What began as a simple lunch break turned into a major civil rights battle for two Indian scholars in the United States. A bowl of palak paneer, heated in a university microwave, became the spark that led to a ₹1.8 crore legal settlement and an international debate on dignity, identity, and discrimination on American campuses.
Two Indian PhD students at the University of Colorado Boulder have secured a $200,000 settlement after accusing the institution of discriminatory treatment following a dispute over the smell of their traditional food.
In 2023, Aditya Prakash, a PhD scholar in anthropology, was reheating his homemade Indian meal in a shared microwave at the university. A staff member reportedly objected to the smell, calling it “pungent” and asking him not to use the facility. Prakash refused to back down and calmly stated that it was simply food and he would be leaving shortly. His partner, Urmi Bhattacheryya, also a doctoral researcher, supported him.
What followed, according to the couple, went far beyond a disagreement over lunch. They said the university summoned them to repeated meetings with senior faculty. Prakash was accused of making the staff member “feel unsafe,” an allegation he strongly denied. Bhattacheryya said she was later removed from her teaching assistant role without any clear explanation.
The couple also claimed that the university withheld their master’s degrees, which are typically awarded to PhD candidates during their academic progression. They said this move severely impacted their careers and left them with no choice but to seek legal help.
In their lawsuit filed in a US district court, Prakash and Bhattacheryya alleged that the university created a hostile academic environment for international students. They argued that the reaction to their Indian food reflected a deeper pattern of racial and cultural bias, rather than a genuine workplace concern.
The legal battle ended in September 2025 when the University of Colorado Boulder agreed to settle the case. Under the agreement, the two scholars were paid $200,000, roughly ₹1.8 crore, and were finally awarded their master’s degrees. However, the settlement also included a condition that bars them from enrolling or working at the university in the future.
For the couple, the result was a mix of relief and loss. While they received financial compensation and academic recognition, their academic journey in Colorado was effectively closed.
Both scholars had entered the university with strong academic credentials. Prakash, who is from Bhopal, had received grants and research support, while Bhattacheryya, a Kolkata native, had been praised for her work on marital rape. Before the incident, their first year in Colorado had passed without any major problems.
After the dispute over reheating food, they say everything changed almost overnight. Feeling targeted and isolated, the couple eventually decided to leave the United States. They returned to India in January this year.
Beyond the money, the case has drawn attention to the everyday challenges faced by international students, particularly those from non-Western cultures. Something as simple as bringing homemade food to campus became a trigger for what the couple described as institutional retaliation.
Their story has resonated widely among Indian students abroad, many of whom see it as a reminder that cultural identity and personal dignity can still come under scrutiny in global academic spaces.