- University of Colorado Boulder paid $200,000 to settle a civil rights lawsuit involving two PhD students.
- The dispute began when a staff member objected to the smell of heated palak paneer.
- Students alleged systemic bias and retaliation after the department kitchen policy impacted international students.
(BOULDER, COLORADO) — The University of Colorado Boulder paid $200,000 to two indian phd students in a september 2025 civil rights settlement after they alleged discrimination and retaliation tied to a 2023 dispute over heating palak paneer on campus.
Aditya Prakash and Urmi Bhattacharyya, both PhD students in the university’s Anthropology Department, alleged their treatment after the episode reflected bias against international students and escalated after they raised concerns.
The settlement ended a federal lawsuit and did not amount to a ban on Indian students, despite online claims that cast the case that way. The case resurfaced online in early 2026 and drew renewed attention to cultural perceptions of food smells and institutional responses to complaints.
Timeline of the incident and legal action
The episode that set off the dispute occurred on September 5, 2023, when Prakash heated palak paneer in a shared departmental microwave at the University of Colorado Boulder.
A staff member objected to the “pungent” smell and asked him to stop. Prakash responded that it was common food in a shared space and questioned cultural biases.
“How many groups of people do you know who face racism because they eat broccoli?” he said. The couple later filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in May 2025 in the US District Court for the District of Colorado.
Claims in the lawsuit
Prakash and Bhattacharyya argued that what followed the kitchen dispute was not a narrow disagreement over etiquette, but a chain of decisions that deterred certain students from using shared spaces.
They alleged a departmental kitchen policy had a “disproportionate and discriminatory impact on ethnic groups like South Asians,” discouraging Indian students from using shared spaces.
The complaint also alleged retaliation after they raised concerns, describing repeated meetings with senior faculty that accused Prakash of making staff “feel unsafe.”
- The complaint cited reports to the Office of Student Conduct
- The termination of Bhattacharyya’s teaching assistant position without explanation
- The withholding of earned Master’s degrees that were typically granted en route to PhDs
- Claims of emotional distress, mental anguish, and a hostile environment due to “systemic bias” against international students
Support for their criticism extended beyond the couple, with 29 fellow Anthropology Department students signing on in criticism of the department’s food policies.
Their objections pointed to the department’s own statements on systemic racism, which the lawsuit framed as in tension with how the kitchen dispute was handled.
Settlement details
The September 2025 settlement required the University of Colorado Boulder to pay $200,000 and to award Master’s degrees to both plaintiffs.
The agreement also barred Prakash and Bhattacharyya from future enrollment or employment at the university, a condition that underscored the finality of the split between the students and the department.
The settlement did not include an admission of wrongdoing by the university, and reports described the $200,000 figure as approximately ₹1.8 crore, and as “Rs 1.66-1.8 crore per reports.”
The university denied any wrongdoing or liability and said it followed established procedures for complaints. Deborah Mendez-Wilson, a university spokesperson, said the university remains committed to an inclusive environment.
Reactions and renewed visibility
The settlement’s renewed visibility in early 2026 produced sharply different reactions online, with some social media responses calling it “a joke” and others focusing on how smell complaints can overlap with cultural bias.
The narrative has been shared widely by Indian and international outlets, but the core facts trace back to the settled civil rights case rather than any formal university-wide ban.
“This year, I fought a fight – 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,”
Bhattacharyya highlighted that framing in an Instagram post about the outcome and what she said it represented.
Aftermath
The couple returned to India permanently earlier in 2026, according to reports cited in coverage of the settlement. Their departure has become part of how the episode is retold online.
While the dispute began with palak paneer in a shared microwave, the lawsuit focused on what the couple described as discrimination and retaliation, and on how policies and internal processes can shape who feels welcome in shared campus spaces.
The story’s viral retelling has often stripped out those legal claims, even as the settlement itself turned on them.
The University of Colorado Boulder settled a $200,000 civil rights case with two Indian PhD students following a 2023 dispute over heating ethnic food. The students alleged discrimination and retaliation, supported by 29 peers. While the university admitted no wrongdoing, the settlement included awarding Master’s degrees and a permanent split from the university. The case highlights ongoing debates regarding cultural bias and institutional responses to international student concerns.
