Two Indian doctoral students won a $200,000 settlement from the University of Colorado Boulder in a discrimination and retaliation lawsuit. The dispute began over a complaint about the smell of Indian food and escalated to allegations of retaliation.
Two Indian doctoral students, Aditya Prakash and Urmi Bhattacheryya, have won a Rs 1.8 crore (USD 200,000) settlement from the University of Colorado Boulder after a discrimination and retaliation dispute that began over a lunch of palak paneer escalated into a federal civil rights lawsuit. Their legal battle highlights concerns over cultural bias, alleged workplace retaliation, and broader questions of inclusion on American university campuses.
The controversy dates back to September 5, 2023, when Prakash was heating his palak paneer in a shared microwave at the Anthropology Department, and a staff member complained about the “pungent smell,” according to The Indian Express. Prakash replied calmly, saying, “It’s just food. I’m heating and leaving.”
The incident, however, did not end there. Prakash and his partner, Bhattacheryya — both PhD students alleged that after he raised concerns about the treatment they received, the university responded with a pattern of escalating retaliation that they described as discriminatory. These actions, the couple claimed in their complaint before the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, went beyond the initial microwave dispute and reflected deeper bias against South Asian students.
Prakash said that as part of the alleged retaliation, he was repeatedly summoned to meetings with faculty, accused of making staff members “feel unsafe,” and complained about within university conduct processes. Bhattacheryya reported that she lost her teaching assistantship without explanation and that on subsequent days when they brought Indian food to campus, they were accused of “inciting a riot,” charges she said were dismissed by the Office of Student Conduct.
The plaintiffs also noted that the department’s kitchen policies had a “disproportionate and discriminatory impact on ethnic groups like South Asians,” making many Indian students hesitant to open their lunches in shared spaces. Prakash argued that food preferences and perceptions of odour are culturally shaped, saying, “My food is my pride. And notions about what smells good or bad to someone are culturally determined.”
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In September 2025, after nearly two years of litigation, the university agreed to settle the case. As part of the agreement, Prakash and Bhattacheryya were each awarded their Master’s degrees, which they said had been withheld during the dispute. However, the settlement also bars them from future enrolment or employment at the institution. The couple has since returned to India permanently.
Speaking about the emotional toll of the conflict, Bhattacheryya wrote on Instagram that her ordeal was a fight “for the freedom to eat what I want, and to protest at will, no matter the colour of my skin, my ethnic extraction, or the unflinchingly unchanged Indian accent.”
The University of Colorado Boulder issued a statement denying liability and saying it had procedures to address discrimination allegations, asserting it “adhered to those processes in this matter” and remained committed to inclusivity.
Their case has struck a chord online, with many users congratulating the students for standing up against discrimination. One social media user remarked that news of the settlement was “what raising your voice the right way looks like,” while others joked about celebrating with more palak paneer.
The Prakash-Bhattacheryya settlement underscores how seemingly minor cultural clashes can expose deeper issues of bias and institutional processes in academic settings, and it has broadened conversations about cultural inclusion and equity in higher education.
