Wed Dec 11 06:54:13 UTC 2024: ## MIT Student Suspended for Pro-Palestine Essay, Sparks Outcry

**Cambridge, MA – December 11, 2024** – A PhD student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Prahlad Iyengar, has been suspended until January 2026, sparking outrage from student activists and raising concerns about academic freedom. Iyengar, an Indian-origin student in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and a National Science Foundation (NSF) fellow, was reportedly punished for an essay supporting the pro-Palestine movement published in the student-run magazine, *Written Revolution*.

The MIT Coalition Against Apartheid (MIT CAA) alleges that the suspension, which effectively terminates Iyengar’s NSF fellowship, is a form of expulsion and represents an abuse of power. They claim the Committee on Discipline (COD) denied Iyengar fair procedure, lumped his case with another disciplinary action to portray him as a repeat offender, and then arbitrarily split the cases after facing public criticism. The CAA accuses the MIT administration of succumbing to external political pressure.

Iyengar is appealing the decision to the MIT Chancellor, his last chance to overturn the suspension before the deadline of December 11, 2024. The MIT CAA has launched a campaign to pressure the administration to reverse the decision, arguing that Iyengar’s punishment criminalizes students who support the Palestinian cause. This incident follows widespread student protests across U.S. campuses in solidarity with Palestine.

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