MIT suspended Indian student over essay written in favor of Palestine. Prahlad Iyengar | America’s MIT expelled Indian student: Prahlad wrote an essay in support of Palestine; University accused of supporting terrorism

America’s Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has suspended an Indian-origin PhD student from the university. Student Prahlad Iyengar has faced this suspension for writing an essay ‘in support of Palestine’ on the issue of Israel-Palestine conflict. The title of his essay was ‘On Pacifism’, which means ‘On the issue of pacifism.’ This essay was published in the October edition of a student magazine ‘Written Revolution’.

The ideology of pacifism says that war and violence are not right. All disputes should be resolved peacefully.

Prahlad Iyengar is a supporter of Palestine

MIT is one of the most prestigious higher educational institutions in the world. Prahlad is a student of MIT’s Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department. According to media reports, Prahlad is an activist and has been vocal in support of Palestine at the academic level.

During his studies as a graduate student, he was particularly involved in political discussions related to the Israel-Palestine war.

In the month of October, Iyengar had written ‘On Pacifism’ for Written Revolution. This essay has been in a lot of controversies since its publication. According to media reports, Iyengar has written his views in support of Palestine. As the controversy escalated, MIT suspended Iyengar from the campus till 2026.

In recent months, MIT students have held protests on campus in support of Palestine.

Essay’s language incites violence, pictures related to terrorist organization included: MIT

MIT alleges that he has used language in his essay that could incite violent protests. Also, photographs related to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) have been used in it. America has declared this Palestinian organization as a terrorist organization.

According to MIT, these photos are against campus policies. However, Iyengar says that he has not included any such picture in his essay. He said that MIT’s allegations are wrong and it is against their right to free expression.

Iyengar’s lawyer Eric Lee has issued a statement on social media site X, presenting Iyengar’s side. It quoted Iyengar as saying, ‘The university administration is accusing me of supporting terrorism because of photographs which I have not included.’

Prahlad Iyengar

There is protest against the suspension of Iyengar.

However, this is not the first time that disciplinary action has been taken against Prahlad Iyengar. Even in 2023, he was suspended from the university for participating in pro-Palestine demonstrations. The recent action is also being linked to his active political activism inside the university campus.

There is strong opposition to the action of the MIT administration against Iyengar. The MIT Coalition Against Apartheid has called this wrong and is preparing a major movement against ‘the criminalization of Iyengar’s activism’. The organization has termed the ban on Written Revolution as wrong. He says that this will increase the tendency of students to suppress their voices. Also, other organizations and institutions have been asked to oppose MIT’s action against Iyengar.

Will Iyengar’s studies be completed or not?

Prahlad Iyengar has been suspended from the college till January 2026. His 5-year fellowship has been cancelled. He has appealed against this action before the Chancellor of the University today on 11th December. He wants the suspension time on him to be reduced. He has described his suspension as unusual. “Firing me and banning Written Revolution sets a dangerous precedent,” he said. In this way, academic freedom on the campus will be adversely affected.

MIT is the world’s top university MIT tops the recently released QS Global University Rankings 2025. MIT has remained in the top position for 13 consecutive years. After MIT comes Imperial College London. Whereas, University of Oxford and Harvard University are at third and fourth position. Cambridge University is also included in the top 5. In this list, only two institutes of India have been able to make it to the top 150.

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