CHENNAI: Two Indian PhD students have won a Rs 1.8 crore (USD 200,000) settlement from the University of Colorado Boulder following a civil rights lawsuit that stemmed from an incident involving heating a lunch of palak paneer on campus, said an Indian Express report.

The issue dates back to September 5, 2023, when Aditya Prakash was warming his lunch in a departmental microwave and a staff member objected to the smell, asking him not to use the facility. Prakash calmly responded, "It's just food. I'm heating and leaving."

Prakash and his partner Urmi Bhattacheryya, both PhD scholars then, filed a civil rights lawsuit, alleging discrimination and retaliation by the university. Following the incident, Bhattacheryya lost her teaching responsibilities, which was also cited as part of their complaint.

In September 2025, the university agreed to a settlement, under which it would pay USD 200,000 and confer Master’s degrees to both. The settlement also bars them from any future enrolment or employment at the university.

The couple has returned to India this month, with Prakash describing the episode as part of "systemic racism" and saying the department initially refused to award their Master's degree, promoting legal action.

In an Instagram post, Bhattacherya wrote: "There is a hardening, a kind of narrowing of empathy. Institutions talk a lot about inclusion, but there is less patience for discomfort, especially if that discomfort comes from immigrants or people of colour."

As an international student, the shift is unmistakable, she adds. "The message wasn't always explicit, but it was there: you are here conditionally, and you can be made to feel that very quickly."