Christ University

In June 2021, Christ (Deemed to be University) in Bengaluru faced controversy following allegations made by a female student regarding the inappropriate behavior of a proctor during an online examination.[22][23] The student shared screenshots on social media platforms, where the proctor allegedly addressed her as "baby" when she inquired about submitting her answers in PDF format during an end-semester examination. The screenshots quickly went viral, leading to widespread criticism.

In response to the allegations, Dr. Abraham V M, the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, stated that the university had constituted a two-member committee of faculty members to investigate the matter. The university clarified that while they had not received any formal complaint from students, they had taken cognizance of the issue based on the social media posts regarding the proctor's behavior. The Karnataka unit of the National Students Union of India (NSUI) also got involved, with plans to approach the University Grants Commission with a detailed report on the incidents of alleged misconduct at the university.

In 2016, Christ University in Bengaluru witnessed a wave of student discontent, leading to a silent protest.[24][25][26] The grievances primarily revolved around the university's strict regulations, including its 85% attendance requirement and dress codes.

The initial spark for the protest was a blog post by a second-year BSc student, Sumedha Biswas, from the Hosur Road campus. She expressed frustration over the university's decision not to declare a holiday during a three-day bus strike. This decision affected many students who relied on public transport and were at risk of not meeting the attendance requirement. Biswas's post highlighted the challenges faced by students who don't reside close to the campus.

Further fueling the discontent was the alleged dismissal of an economics professor from the Bannerghatta campus. An anonymous blog post claimed that the professor was fired for questioning the university's marking scheme and for refusing to announce a new dress code rule in class. The Bannerghatta campus, primarily catering to management students, had imposed dress codes that some humanities students felt were unfairly applied to them.

• The stringent 85% attendance requirement.
• Strict dress codes, including a rule against rolling up sleeves.
• Not declaring holidays during bandhs and strikes.
• The Student Council being appointed rather than elected, leaving students feeling they lacked a platform to voice their concerns.
• Discrepancies in assessment percentages between the Hosur Road and Bannerghatta Road campuses.

John Joseph Kennedy, Dean of Humanities & Social Sciences at the Hosur Road campus, stated that the university only declares holidays if the government does so. He emphasized that attendance could always be made up and that students who felt unsafe during bandhs or strikes were not obligated to attend.

Christ University faced severe backlash and criticism for alleged incidents of sexual harassment by senior faculty members and the imposition of what were perceived as oppressive and draconian rules on students.[27]

An anonymous student from Christ University detailed her experiences with sexual harassment by senior faculty members in a blog post.[28] She recounted instances where professors made inappropriate comments and advances towards her and other female students. One professor, part of the college administration, was noted for his conceited remarks on female students' appearances and was known to have been previously accused of sexual harassment. Another professor allegedly flirted with female students and made inappropriate comments about their relationships with male classmates.

The anonymous blog post was in solidarity with the student protest happening at the Bannerghatta campus against the 'draconian dress code'. A faculty member who supported the ongoing student protest against the restrictive dress code and other oppressive rules was allegedly asked to quit. Students were reportedly punished for having friends of the opposite gender, and surprise checks were conducted at girls' hostels by authorities at odd hours.

Students, particularly females, were subjected to character judgments based on their appearance and behavior. Instances were reported where students were pulled up for their appearance, accused of distracting classmates, and subjected to character assassination for carrying cosmetics or wearing leggings. The university's rules and the administration's actions were perceived as attempts to stifle expressions of solidarity among students and crush any dissenting voices.[29]

The allegations and the experiences shared by the students highlighted the need for a safer and more inclusive environment within the university. The incidents underscored broader societal issues related to gender, morality, and the rights of students within educational institutions.

In recent years, Christ University in Bengaluru has faced criticism for its alleged sexist dress codes and moral policing practices, which many students and activists argue perpetuate gender bias and discrimination.[30][31][32]

The university has imposed strict dress code rules, especially targeting female students. These rules prohibit leggings, kurtas that are knee-length or shorter, and mandate the wearing of a dupatta. Women students are even restricted from wearing Lucknowi kurtas due to their often translucent sleeves. The enforcement of these rules is carried out by security guards who determine whether a student can enter the campus based on their attire.

Students have reported instances of being sent back from the university gates by security personnel due to perceived dress code violations. One M.A. student shared an experience where, after being sent back to change her outfit and returning, she was denied entry for being 10 minutes late. This, coupled with the university's stringent 85% mandatory attendance rule, has caused significant distress among students. Furthermore, interactions between male and female students are reportedly frowned upon by the university authorities, leading to accusations of moral policing.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has guidelines stating that safety concerns for female students should not be used as a reason to impose discriminatory rules. These guidelines emphasize that campus safety policies should not result in over-monitoring, policing, or curtailing the freedom of movement, especially for female students and employees. However, these regulations primarily apply to central universities affiliated with UGC and some state universities receiving UGC funding. Private universities, like Christ, are not necessarily bound by these guidelines.

A campaign initiated on Jhatkaa.org called for the UGC to extend its non-discriminatory regulations to all 'deemed to be' universities, including Christ University. The campaign also demanded that Christ University repeal its discriminatory dress codes.

In February 2023, a controversy arose surrounding the tenure of Fr Abraham V. M, the Vice-Chancellor of Christ (Deemed to be University) in Bengaluru. The Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI), the management of the institution, was alleged to be curtailing the five-year term prescribed by the University Grants Commission (UGC) for Vice-Chancellors. Fr Abraham V. M, who began his term on March 1, 2019, was initially appointed for three years. He received a one-year extension in 2022, concluding his term on February 28, 2023.

Fr Abraham V. M communicated his concerns to the university's chancellor, Fr Paul Achandy, pointing out alleged inconsistencies in the appointment of a new Vice-Chancellor. He emphasized that the appointment process might be in violation of UGC regulations. The Vice-Chancellor's concerns were primarily centered on the UGC's requirement for Vice-Chancellors to serve five-year terms. Additionally, in a letter dated February 27, he highlighted that a UGC member on the selection committee insisted on a public advertisement for the Vice-Chancellor position, a view that was not shared by the other committee members.

The CMI, in its internal communications, maintained that the requirement for issuing a notification inviting applications for the Vice-Chancellor position was not applicable to Christ (deemed university) due to its 'minority status'. The prior general of CMI, Thomas C Mathew, did not comment on the decision to limit Fr Abraham's tenure to four years, despite previous Vice-Chancellors serving five-year terms.

In 2008, Christ College was involved in a controversy surrounding the granting of deemed university status.[34] The institute is now a deemed to be university.[35][36][37][38][39] Questions arose about the legitimacy of the "No-Objection Certificates" (NoC) issued by Bangalore University for the grant of this status to private colleges affiliated with it.

According to the established norms, an NoC from Bangalore University is required to be submitted to the University Grants Commission (UGC) for the grant of deemed university status. Christ College was granted this status on July 22, based on an order from the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, following recommendations from the UGC. However, the process leading up to this decision became a point of contention.

The State government had previously decided not to recommend any institution for the conferment of deemed status. Despite this, Bangalore University's Registrar, Sanjay Vir Singh, sent a letter to the UGC on May 13, which, while not explicitly recommending an NoC for Christ College, mentioned that the university had no objections to the enrollment of students already approved by the university. This statement was interpreted by the UGC as an NoC. Some members of the Bangalore University Syndicate viewed this as a violation of both the university's and the State government's decisions.

When questioned, Mr. Singh clarified that he had included the Principal Secretary's letter with his communication to the UGC and that these letters had been approved by the Vice-Chancellor

Reports emerged that Christ University had set a higher cut-off for female students applying to pre-university courses. The Vice-Chancellor of the university justified this decision by stating that girls are generally smarter, and without a higher cut-off, the college would predominantly have female students. This decision was seen by many as a way to penalize female students for their academic achievements.[40]

BGR Campus Front view

The university offers over 50 undergraduate programmes in humanities, social sciences, science, commerce and management, education, law and engineering. Undergraduate programmes are of three-year duration except in the case of Bachelor of Education (BEd, two years), Bachelor of Hotel Management (BHM, four years), Bachelor of Laws (LLB, five years), Bachelor of Technology (BTech, four years) and an integrated BTech/MTech or MBA (five years). Except for Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BSc) programmes follow a Triple Major system.[43]

Wikipedia in the undergraduate programme

Wikipedia workshop for second language students

The institution entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore to make article writing on Wikipedia a core exercise for the continuous internal assessment of its 1600 undergraduate students in Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Sanskrit and Urdu.[45] The Hindi and Kannada articles may be found at collection of Hindi articles and collection of Kannada articles.

The university offers 47 master's, 17 Master of Philosophy and 21 PhD degree programmes in Humanities, Social Sciences, Science, Law, Education, commerce and management, and Engineering. Masters programmes are of two years duration, except for Master of Computer Science and Master of Law which are three years and one-year duration, respectively.

The university has published over 220 books in Kannada, through Kannada Sangha, a non-profit organisation of the university promoting Kannada.

The university is a member of the Association of Indian Universities,[46] International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU)[47] and Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business(AACSB)[48]