Indian Couple suffered, dispute over the smell of palak paneer (spinach and cottage cheese) erupted at US University, gets compensation Rs.1.8 crore

A dispute over the smell of palak paneer (spinach and cottage cheese) erupted at a university in the United States. The university took action against the Indian students involved, not only expelling them from the college but also refusing to grant them their PhD degrees. The case went to court, and now the college has to pay $200,000 in compensation.

In 2023, a bizarre incident unfolded at the University of Colorado Boulder in the United States. 34-year-old Aditya Prakash and 35-year-old Urmi Bhattacharya were second-year students at the time, enrolled in the college to pursue their PhD degrees. On September 5, 2023, Prakash went to heat his lunch in the university’s oven. Prakash’s lunchbox contained palak paneer. A university staff member refused to let him heat the dish, claiming that the food had a “foul odor” and therefore could not be heated in the oven.

Speaking to the Indian Express, Prakash said, “My food is my pride. No one else will decide whether it’s fragrant or smelly. A staff member told me that they don’t even allow broccoli to be heated in the oven because of its strange smell. I simply asked them, ‘How many people face discrimination because they eat broccoli?'”
Prakash’s partner, Urmi, also came out in his support. The couple accused the university of discrimination. They were called to several meetings with senior staff. Urmi was fired from her teaching job without explanation. The university also refused to grant both of them their PhD degrees.Prakash and Urmi approached the Colorado District Court. They accused the university of escalating a minor dispute into a major issue and denying them their degrees.

After the case reached the court, the college opted for a settlement. The college administration was ordered to pay Prakash and Urmi $200,000 (approximately ₹1.8 crore) to settle the case. However, the college has permanently banned Prakash and Urmi from the university. Now they will neither be able to enroll in this college nor get a job. Meanwhile, the college has already awarded them both PhD degrees.