Prahlad Iyengar, An MIT Indian PhD Student Who Is Expelled For Writing A Pro-Palestine Essay
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has expelled, an Indian-origin doctoral candidate Prahlad Iyenger for writing a pro-Palestinian article. Prahlad’s essay was published in Written Revolution, a multidisciplinary student magazine that allegedly has the potential to endorse violence. Citing its reason, MIT has been prompted to terminate his National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.
Iyenger was pursuing a PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He wrote an article titled On Pacifism, which critiques non-violent approaches to the Palestinian struggle. However, the essay did not support the violent resistance explicitly, it includes imagery linked to the Popular Front of the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a group that has been designated as a terrorist organization by the US State Department.
However, the PhD student maintains that he did not provide these visuals, claiming their inclusion led to the accusation of supporting terrorism. His lawyer, Eric Lee, shared a post on social media X, where Iyengar said that the charges were unwarranted and infringed upon his freedom of speech.
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MIT stated that the essay’s language could advocate violent protest on campus. Cosidering the institute’s concerns, the magazine has been banned from circulation at MIT. Iyenger urged the campus community to consider the implications of MIT’s decision and said, “Expelling me and banning Written Revolution represents an unprecedented attack on student and faculty rights”.
The MIT Coalition Against Apartheid has condemned the institute’s decision, and launched a campaign urging a reversal of sanctions. A rally was organised recently at Cambridge City Hall, with supporters voicing the need to protect students freedom of speech.
The MIT PhD candidate Iyengar, had also faced disciplinary actions last year for leading pro-Palestine demonstrations. The MIT decision has initiated a debate about students freedom of expression and speech in the universities in US.
