MIT bars Indian student from attending graduation ceremony over pro-Palestine speech

An Indian student, Megha Vemuri, was barred by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from attending the graduation commencement ceremony after she delivered a pro-Palestinian speech at an event last week.

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The ban on Vemuri, a neuroscience undergrad and class of 2025 President at MIT, came after she took the stage on Thursday to speak about the war in Gaza, her support for Palestine and condemnation of MIT in relation to the Gaza war.

Class of 2025 president Megha M. Vemuri’s speech on Thursday at the OneMIT ceremony was not the one provided to the institution in advance, according to an MIT spokesperson.

While the institution supports free expression, it stands by the decision to not allow the student at the Friday events because she “deliberately and repeatedly” misled commencement organisers and led a “protest from the stage, disrupting an important Institute ceremony.”