An incident over the reheating of Indian food in a common area at the University of Colorado Boulder eventually escalated into a high-profile legal battle and a $200,000 (approximately Rs 1.66 crore) settlement
between the university and two Indian doctoral students.
As per the report of the Indian Express, the problem emerged in September 2023 when the PhD Anthropology student Aditya Prakash was heating up some palak paneer in the microwave in the department. According to Prakash, a woman staff member objected to the "pungent" smell of the food and requested him not to use the appliance for heating his meal. Prakash reportedly refused to do so and told her that he was only heating his food before leaving. His partner, Urmi Bhattacharyya, also a PhD student of the University, mentioned that she faced adverse consequences after supporting him, like suddenly losing her teaching assistantship.
Prakash and Bhattacharyya filed a civil rights complaint after the incident, alleging the university retaliated against them for the dispute by withholding Master's degrees each man had earned en route to their PhDs. They also said they were forced into a hostile academic environment that prevented them from completing their work. The lawsuit maintained that the reaction to their cultural food practices had a deeper systemic bias against international students.
In September 2025, the University of Colorado Boulder entered a settlement with the two scholars, agreeing to pay $200,000 and formally award their Master’s degrees with no admission of wrongdoing. However, the settlement precludes both from any future enrollment or employment at the institution. The two have since returned to India.
