MIT wants a free Palestine: MIT class president condemns Israel in bold address
Cambridge, Massachusetts: At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s 2025 commencement ceremony, Indian-American student and class president Megha Vemuri made international headlines with a powerful, politically charged address condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza and criticizing MIT’s institutional ties to the Israeli military.
Wearing a red keffiyeh, a symbol of solidarity with Palestine, Vemuri delivered her speech before thousands of graduates, faculty, and guests, declaring, “You showed the world that MIT wants a free Palestine.”
Her remarks came amidst widespread campus protests across the United States over the Gaza conflict and American universities’ connections to military and defense interests involved in the war.
“Academic institutions across the country are shrouded in a dark cloud of uncertainty,” Vemuri stated, acknowledging the fear and pressure faced by student activists. She openly accused MIT of complicity: “The Israeli occupation forces are the only foreign military that MIT has research ties with… our school is aiding and abetting genocide.”
Vemuri highlighted recent student-led votes by both undergraduate and graduate bodies at MIT urging the administration to sever ties with Israel’s military. “You faced threats, intimidation, and suppression—especially from your own university officials—but you prevailed,” she told her peers.
As she concluded, Vemuri urged her fellow graduates to turn their class rings outward—a traditional MIT gesture symbolizing readiness to face the world. This time, it carried political weight.
“We carry with us the obligation to do everything we can to stop it. MIT is directly complicit in the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people,” she said, ending her speech with a call for accountability and action.
Vemuri pointed to the total destruction of universities in Gaza as evidence of a systematic erasure: “There are no universities left in Gaza. We are watching Israel try to wipe Palestine off the face of the earth, and it is a shame that MIT is a part of it.”
Born and raised in Alpharetta, Georgia, Megha Vemuri has played a prominent role in MIT’s student life. In addition to serving as class president, she was involved in the class council and numerous research initiatives. Vemuri worked as a research assistant at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research and previously interned at the UCT Neuroscience Institute in South Africa.
She also participated in community-oriented educational projects, including creating a neuroscience curriculum for high school students in Jordan. At MIT, she taught artificial intelligence courses and was a member of "Written Revolution," a student group promoting socially conscious ideas.
A National Merit Scholar in 2021, Vemuri has also co-authored two academic articles on avian social behavior.
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Tribal couple, son hacked to death over witchcraft suspicion in Jharkhand's Godda
Godda (Jharkhand) (PTI): A tribal couple and their minor son were allegedly hacked to death by their relatives in Jharkhand's Godda district over suspicion of practising witchcraft, police said on Tuesday.
The incident took place in Danga Tola under Deodanr police station area late on Monday and police recovered their bodies on Tuesday.
"A tribal couple and their minor son were hacked to death at Danga Tola in Godda. Preliminary investigation suggests the victims were killed over suspicion of practising witchcraft," Godda Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Ashok Ravidas told PTI.
Three persons have been arrested so far, he said.
"Police have arrested three persons in this connection. During initial interrogation, the accused told the police that they suspected that the victims were practising witchcraft," the SDPO said.
The axe used to kill them has also been recovered, and further investigation into the matter is underway, he said.
Deodanr police station officer-in-charge Amit Marki said the deceased tribal couple has been identified as Darbari Murmu (55) and his wife Maki Baski (50).
Their deceased son was around 12 years old. The bodies have been sent to Sadar Hospital in Godda for post-mortem examination.
