On October 8, 2025, MIT expelled graduate student Prahlad Iyengar, concluding disciplinary proceedings that began with an interim suspension on November 8, 2024 and ultimately resulted in his exclusion from campus through January 2026 before the expulsion. The case arose from a student magazine essay titled “On Pacifism,” published on October 28, 2024, and was reviewed by MIT’s Committee on Discipline, which assessed whether the publication, taken as a whole, could be interpreted as endorsing or encouraging violent conduct in connection with political protest related to the war in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent military operations in Gaza.

The essay, published on October 28, 2024, was written amid sustained campus protests over the war in Gaza, which followed the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that killed civilians and triggered a large-scale Israeli military campaign in Gaza involving extensive civilian casualties and widespread destruction. The essay argued that nonviolence should not be treated as an absolute political strategy and criticized pacifist approaches as insufficient. It included statements such as, “One year into a horrific genocide, it is time for the movement to begin wreaking havoc, or else business will indeed go on as usual,” and “We have a duty to escalate for Palestine.”

MIT’s initial response came on November 1, 2024, when it prohibited distribution of the magazine issue on campus. The university stated that the issue included “several troubling statements that could be interpreted as a call for more violent or destructive forms of protest at MIT,” and that “numerous community members expressed concern for their safety.” The same issue of the magazine included visual imagery referencing the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a Palestinian political and militant organization designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, Canada, and Japan.

On November 8, 2024, MIT imposed an interim suspension on Iyengar and barred him from campus while initiating formal disciplinary proceedings. The suspension, which jeopardized his National Science Foundation fellowship, followed a series of disciplinary investigations. MIT’s Committee on Discipline grouped the essay with prior conduct, including participation in a pro-Palestinian campus encampment and a demonstration at a Lockheed Martin recruiting event. The university later expanded the disciplinary record to include these activities as part of its overall assessment.

On November 30, 2024, the Committee on Discipline ruled to suspend Iyengar through January 2026 and prohibit his physical access to campus. MIT stated that the sanctions were based on concerns about interpretation of the published material, its relationship to student conduct standards, and potential implications for campus safety.

The university’s actions prompted sustained backlash. Students and faculty organized rallies and circulated petitions demanding reinstatement of Iyengar’s access. On December 11, 2024, the Cambridge City Council passed a resolution calling on MIT to reconsider the disciplinary measures, citing academic freedom and due process concerns. The MIT chapter of the American Association of University Professors also issued an open letter condemning the suspension and questioning the evidence and procedures used in the case.

On January 9, 2025, MIT responded that it stood by its disciplinary process, reiterating concerns about interpretation of the material and campus safety while reaffirming its commitment to free expression. Iyengar appealed the decision, and the matter remained under internal review until MIT issued the expulsion on October 8, 2025, concluding the disciplinary proceedings.