No Place to Call Home: Spatial Injustice and the Bihari Community in Bangladesh

Photo Source: (Whitaker, Guest, and Ennals 1982)

During my undergraduate studies, I had the chance to visit Geneva Camp in Dhaka, Bangladesh—a densely populated settlement that is home to the Bihari community. Experiencing life inside this camp firsthand opened my eyes to the concept of spatial justice and the reality of how space can be wielded as a tool of exclusion. Biharis, who have lived in Bangladesh for generations, endure systemic marginalization that restricts their access to basic rights, resources, and recognition. My visit to Geneva Camp can reveal how spatial injustice profoundly impacts the Bihari community’s identity, livelihood, and aspirations, presenting an ongoing struggle for equity and belonging.

Spatial justice, defined by the Design Studio for Social Intervention, is the “intersection of space and social justice.” This concept emphasizes how inequalities are not just economic or social but also embedded in physical environments, denying certain groups access to thriving, secure spaces (Bailey, Lobenstine, and Nagel 2012). For the Bihari community, the spatial limitations within Geneva Camp vividly reflect these inequalities. Overcrowded, under-resourced, and located within an urban area yet isolated, Geneva Camp exemplifies how marginalized communities are restricted to spaces that curtail their mobility, rights, and social participation.

Photo: Bihari Camp in Bangladesh                                                                                       (Source: www.tbsnews.net)

The Bihari community’s story traces back to the 1947 Partition of India, when many Biharis migrated to East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) to escape communal violence. However, after Bangladesh’s independence in 1971, Biharis, often associated with pro-Pakistani sentiments, faced backlash and were labeled “stranded Pakistanis,” a designation that would shape their future in Bangladesh (Haider 2018). Although a 2008 court ruling granted Bangladeshi citizenship to Biharis born after 1971, many continue to struggle with legal limbo, unable to access crucial documents such as passports, which further restricts their mobility and participation in society (Haider 2018).

Photo: Bihari Community                                                                                               (Source: www.thedailystar.net)

Geneva Camp, one of the largest Bihari settlements, represents how spatial injustice confines communities, reinforcing social divisions. While walking through this place, I was struck by the camp’s lack of infrastructure—narrow passageways, poor sanitation, limited access to clean water, and overcrowded housing units that intensified feelings of isolation. According to Bhattacharjee (2018), Biharis endure exclusion across five critical dimensions: social, economic, political, cultural, and spatial. For many families in Geneva Camp, poverty is a daily reality, with limited access to education, healthcare, and employment. Language barriers and lack of formal job opportunities further restrict their economic mobility, exacerbating their marginalization and alienation. Even though such systemic barriers shape the Bihari community’s identity, they hinder generational progress and maintain social exclusion (Bhattacharjee 2018).

Photo: A Bihari women protesting for their legal rights                                        (Source: www.anindianmuslim.com)

Spatial injustice within Geneva Camp is compounded by social stigmatization. Biharis are often perceived as perpetual “outsiders” due to their historical ties to Pakistan, a label that follows them even outside camp boundaries (Haider 2018). This stigmatization affects every facet of their lives. Biharis are largely excluded from formal job markets, and even those with valuable skills find themselves relegated to low-paying, insecure positions. For example, despite the contributions Biharis make to the economy through skilled trades, systemic discrimination curtails their access to essential rights and opportunities, effectively confining them to spaces like Geneva Camp and reducing their ability to participate fully in society (Haider 2018). Despite their technical right to vote, their lack of political representation means their voices remain unheard, with limited agency in democratic processes (Whitaker, Guest, and Ennals 1982). They explain that, though some Biharis have aspirations for integration, they face significant obstacles due to regional politics, local hostility, and an absence of supportive policies.

Visiting the camp helped me to get a firsthand experience of underscoring how marginalized groups are denied “spatial claims”—the rights to live, connect, and thrive freely within society, as outlined in the Spatial Justice framework (Bailey, Lobenstine, and Nagel 2012). Biharis face restrictions on both physical and social mobility, making Geneva Camp a stark illustration of how space becomes a “terrain through which injustice is experienced daily” (Bailey, Lobenstine, and Nagel 2012). Spatial justice isn’t simply an academic concept—it’s a lens through which we can see how marginalized communities are systemically confined to spaces that perpetuate their social and economic hardships. The Biharis’ plight demands action and a societal commitment to dismantling these barriers so that future generations might see a Bangladesh that includes and values them as equals.

A coincidence I want to express here is that there are many ethnic Bengalis, descendants of migrants from Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) in the 1940s-1970s, who are stateless in Pakistan, especially in Karachi. Despite living in Pakistan for generations, they face barriers to citizenship, which impacts their access to employment, healthcare, and education. Statelessness limits their ability to fully integrate and makes them vulnerable to exploitation and poverty. I’m sharing the link to a report titled, “Stateless and helpless: The plight of ethnic Bengalis in Pakistan” published by Aljazeera for your reference.

References

Bailey, Kenneth, Lori Lobenstine, and Kiara Nagel. 2012. “Spatial Justice: A Frame for Reclaiming Our Rights to Be, Thrive, Express and Connect.” Retrieved June 12:2022.

Bhattacharjee, Mowsume. 2018. “Dynamics of Social Exclusion in Urban Bangladesh: A Sociological Study of Bihari Community.” Bangladesh E-Journal of Sociology 15 (1). https://www.academia.edu/download/78499557/Dynamics_20of_20Social_20Exclusion_20in_20Urban_20Bangladesh.pdf.

Haider, Zaglul. 2018. “Biharis in Bangladesh and Their Restricted Access to Citizenship Rights.” South Asia Research 38 (3_suppl): 25S-42S. https://doi.org/10.1177/0262728018791695.

https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/9/29/stateless-ethnic-bengalis-pakistan

Whitaker, Ben, Iain Guest, and David Ennals. 1982. The Biharis in Bangladesh. 11. Minority rights group. https://books.google.com/bookshl=en&lr=&id=zXYgEQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA6&dq=THE+BIHARIS+IN+BANGLADESH&ots=L5PiDkmLRv&sig=5ZXKOJUCfq56lghTKZOg6xwuzfw.