How Indian Couple Got Rs 1.6 Cr in USA Through ‘Palak Paneer’ Smell

It is an established predicament that the Indian community is often subject to intense discrimination and racial bias in the United States. And now we have one very interesting case involving an Indian couple, which got financially benefited through this racial conflict. 

Going into the story, an Indian PhD student named Aditya Prakash was pursuing higher studies at the University of Colorado Boulder along with his partner Urmi Bhattacheryya in 2023. 

On September 5, 2023, when Aditya was heating a plate of Palak Paneer at the departmental store, a staff member obstructed him saying the smell is pungent and said he needs to leave. While Aditya tried to specify the situation by saying it is just food and he would be leaving once it is heated, he was allegedly subject to hate by the staff member. 

After this incident, Aditya and his partner, Urmi who was also at the university were reportedly tormented by the university staff members repeatedly using racial discrimination. In fact, Urmi stated that she even lost her teaching assistance stipend without prior notice from the university. This led to the couple filing a defamation suit against the university and its staff. 

After a prolonged battle that lasted nearly two years, back in September 2025, the university agreed to settle the dispute by paying a monetary compensation of 200 K dollars to the couple. This roughly converts to ₹1.6 crore and the couple had received the money. 

After receiving this financial compensation, the couple left the university upon their demand, and they are now saying that they would never return to the United States. In the end, the single plate of Palak Paneer and the subsequent racial discrimination has earned this Indian couple ₹1.6 crore in the USA.