Indian PhD students Aditya Prakash and Urmi Bhattacheryya at the University of Colorado Boulder received Rs 1.8 crore ($ 200,000) civil rights settlement over a discrimination incident involving Palak Paneer. In September 2023, a staff member told Prakash not to heat his lunch in a department microwave due to its smell.
According to a report, the issue started when a staff member complained about the strong smell of Prakash’s lunch. In his brief reply, he said, “It’s just food. I’m heating and leaving.”
Indian Students Win ₹1.8 Crore Lawsuit Over Palak Paneer Prejudice
The situation escalated, prompting Prakash, 34, and Bhattacheryya, 35, to file a civil lawsuit against the university in the United States District Court for Colorado. In their complaint, they claimed that after Prakash spoke up about the discriminatory treatment, the university retaliated.
The students also argued that departmental kitchen rules targeted South Asians, discouraging community members from eating in common areas. Prakash stated he called to meetings with senior faculty over accusations that he made staff feel unsafe. Bhattacheryya said she fired from her teaching assistant position without any explanation.
What happens?
She added that she accused of inciting trouble after eating Indian food for two days following the palak paneer incident. After a legal struggle that lasted two years, the university finally agreed to pay them Rs 1.8 crore (USD 200,000) in September 2025 and grant them their Master’s degrees.
However, they barred from future enrollment or employment at the university. They returned to India this month. In an Instagram post, Bhattacheryya reflected on the ordeal, writing, “This year, I fought a fight. A fight for the freedom to eat what I want and to protest at will, no matter the color of my skin, my ethnic background, or my unchanging Indian accent.”
She added, “I faced shocking health issues that I had never encountered before. My self-respect and confidence things I had always protected were eroded until these actions taken.
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