Who is Megha Vemuri, Indian-American pro-Palestine MIT student who called out Israel’s ‘genocide’?

The prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is in the news yet again, this time after Indian-American student and MIT’s Class of 2025 president Megha Vemuri delivered a riveting and controversial commencement speech against Israel’s alleged illegal occupation of Palestine.

Vemuri took to the stage for what many thought would be a run-of-the-mill acknowledgement address. But the Indian-American, sporting a red keffiyeh (a traditional scarf now adopted by supporters of Palestine), delivered a speech that made many a genocide apologist uneasy. “You showed the world that MIT wants a free Palestine,” she said, looking at her batchmates.

This was in reference to the building support for MIT Coalition for Palestine and the recent student votes that called for the institute to cut research ties with the Israeli military accused of killing Palestinians.

As of December 2024, the MIT Coalition for Palestine consisted of MIT Alumni for Palestine (A4P), MIT Globally Indigenous Students for Justice (IS4J), MIT Arab Student Organization (ASO) MIT Grads for Palestine (G4P), MIT Asian American Initiative (AAI), MIT Jews for Collective Liberation (JCL), MIT Black Graduate Student Association (BGSA), MIT Latino Cultural Center (LCC), MIT Black Students’ Union (BSU), MIT Muslims for Justice (M4J), MIT Disability Justice Collective (DJC), MIT Reading for Revolution (R4R), MIT Coalition Against Apartheid (CAA), MIT Taara, MIT Divest Palestine (Pal@MIT), MIT DUSP for Palestinian Liberation (D4PL), MIT Written Revolution, MIT Faculty and Staff for Palestine (FS4P), and Trans@MIT.

“MIT maintains institutional collaborations through the ILP, LGO, CSAIL, and MIT Energy Initiative programs with companies that sell vast amounts of weapons to Israel. These include Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest military contractor, as well as Maersk, Lockheed Martin, and Caterpillar. These collaborations grant genocide profiteers privileged access to MIT talent and expertise,” the MIT Coalition for Palestine stated in its report ‘MIT Science For Genocide’.

“MIT’s ties to the genocide of Palestinians are immoral, illegal, and unpopular among the MIT community. The sponsorships break MIT’s own rules on foreign engagements, scientific ethics, nondiscrimination, health, safety, and the environment, as well as federal and international law. By abetting genocide, MIT sends a message to Palestinians at MIT that it does not value their human life,” the report read.

Vemuri’s controversial speech comes at a time when students from other nations have been reportedly deported and student visas cancelled for their anti-genocide stance, something that the US conveniently terms as “anti-zionist”, somehow absolving their bilateral ally Israel of crimes against humanity.

During the MIT graduation ceremony, Vemuri also criticised the MIT administration, referring to reports that students faced “threats, intimidation, and suppression” from the institution.

Megha Vemuri has been pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Neuroscience, and Linguistics at MIT.

“Right now, while we prepare to graduate and move forward with our lives, there are no universities left in Gaza,” Vemuri’s words cut through the crowd.

Following Vemuri to the stage was MIT President Sally Kornbluth, who did not add to the mix or address any of the student president’s statements.

Vemuri also led the MIT Written Revolution. Reports also cite her as a research assistant at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research.

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