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MIT bars Indian American class president over inflammatory Gaza speech
Megha Vemuri condemned MIT’s research ties with the Israeli military and accused the institution of being complicit in causing genocide in Gaza.
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Malvika Choudhary - Fri, 30, May 2025
- 15:22 EDT
- 61
Megha Vemuri / Screengrab from OneMIT Commencement Ceremony
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) barred an Indian American student and president of the graduating class of 2025, from attending the institution’s future commencement ceremonies after she delivered a pro-Palestine speech on May 29.
According to a statement by MIT spokesperson quoted by Boston Globe, Megha Vemuri’s speech in which she accused the institution of aiding “genocide” in Gaza, “was not the one that was provided by the speaker in advance.”
Vemuri, who completed her undergraduate degree in computer science, neuroscience, and linguistics, had been scheduled to serve as marshal for the undergraduate ceremony on May 30.
However, she received an email from MIT Chancellor Melissa Nobles informing her that she and her family were barred from campus for most of the day. Nobles accused her of violating MIT’s policies on campus expression by leading a protest from the stage.
Complicit in Genocide
Addressing the graduates on May 29, Vemuri condemned MIT’s research ties with the Israeli military and expressed solidarity with Gaza. Referring to the strong pro-palestinian protests that took place last spring on campus, she said, “You showed the world that MIT wants a free Palestine.”
Vemuri criticized the administration for its handling of campus activism, saying students “faced threats, intimidation, and suppression coming from all directions, especially your own university officials,” but continued to organize in support of Palestine.
“Right now, while we prepare to graduate and move forward with our lives, there are no universities left in Gaza,” she said. “We are watching Israel try to wipe Palestine off the face of the earth, and it is a shame that MIT is a part of it.”
Her remarks come amid rising student activism and nationwide campus protests over the war in Gaza and institutional complicity. MIT has not formally responded to the speech.
The ceremony concluded with the symbolic turning of the class ring, where Vemuri emphasized the weight of carrying MIT’s name, stating, “We will carry with us the stamp of the MIT name, the same name that is directly complicit in the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people. And so we carry with us the obligation to do everything we can to stop it.”
Vemuri, born and raised in Alpharetta, Georgia to Indian immigrants, was active in both research and advocacy on campus. She led the Written Revolution project and conducted research at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research.
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