How A Palak Paneer Lunch Dispute Ended In Rs 1.8-Crore Settlement For Two Indian Students In US
A dispute over heating palak paneer led to a $200,000 settlement for two Indian PhD students who alleged discrimination and retaliation from their US university.Summary
A seemingly minor incident – a staff member complaining about the smell of palak paneer being heated in a shared microwave – escalated into a major legal battle for two Indian doctoral students, Aditya Prakash and Urmi Bhattacheryya, at the University of Colorado Boulder. Following the incident in September 2023, the couple alleged a pattern of discrimination and retaliation, including repeated meetings with faculty, accusations of making staff feel unsafe, and the loss of a teaching assistantship for Bhattacheryya. They filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in May 2025, claiming the university’s actions were discriminatory towards South Asian students and created a hostile environment.
The university ultimately reached a $200,000 (approximately Rs 1.8 crore) settlement with the couple in September 2025, granting them Master’s degrees but barring them from future enrollment or employment. The lawsuit highlighted a departmental kitchen policy that the students argued disproportionately impacted ethnic groups like South Asians. Prakash emphasized that “Ideas about what smells good or bad are culturally determined,” and questioned why other foods weren't similarly restricted.
Both students have since returned to India permanently, stating they no longer wish to re-enter the US academic system. Bhattacheryya attributed the experience to a broader hardening of attitudes in the US, suggesting institutions talk about inclusion but have “less patience for discomfort — especially when it comes from immigrants or people of colour.”
(Source：Google News)