to people in the nearby area. There are thirty nine camps populated by seventy thousand people in Mirpur. The National Housing Society is now planning to demolish all structures in the camps. Not being able to stop the demolition order, the community leaders petitioned to the Supreme Court in 2001 to stop the demolition of their houses and other properties; the court issued an injunction order to the National Housing Society in the same year. 13. Similar trends are also noticeable in other places inhabited by this community. During the 2001 to 2012 period, nine petitions were filed on behalf of Biharis in different camps (Mirpur, Syedpur, Geneva, Mymensingh Patgudam, Adamjee Nagar, and seventy other camps) asking the court to stop any eviction in the camps before rehabilitation is done. After a long period of hearings, a bench of the High Court Division of Bangladesh Supreme Court issued a judgment on 29 March 2016 withdrawing all injunctions and stay orders and instructing the concerned government authority to take steps for the rehabilitation of those who live in the camps and have a national identity card. Despite this High Court verdict, on May 2017 Dhaka North City Corporation evicted Kashmiri Mohallah Camp in Section-11 Mirpur and in August 2017 they evicted two more camps in Pallabi, Mirpur. Now the camp residents are living under the open sky. Risk of Statelessness 14. In February 2016 the Cabinet approved the Draft Citizenship Law 2016 and we understand that the matter is under the consideration of the Parliament. The draft law contains provisions that are of grave concern which may lead to a situation where the Urdu-speaking community or other current Bangladeshi citizens could become stateless. Section 3 of the draft citizenship bill says: “Prominence of the Act. Notwithstanding anything contained in any other Act, Legal Instrument, Judgment Decree etc., the provisions of this Act shall prevail”. The concern is that this section may be able to override the 2008 judgment that confirmed the citizenship of the Urdu-speaking community. This provision is also contradictory to Article 102 of the constitution of Bangladesh. Other provisions of the draft bill, including those that would strip nationality from a Bangladeshi based on any action his/her parent or grandparent may have taken as “enemies of the state” also risk introducing arbitrary application of the law and unchecked discretion of officials involved in nationalityrelated matters. Conclusion 15. Nearly 50 years since Bangladesh’s independence, the Biharis are now recognized as citizens but remain stranded in neglected encampments with few economic opportunities to improve their status. Many young Biharis have embraced Bangladesh as the only home they know and desire integration in Bangladeshi society. They seek jobs, education, safe living conditions, and the same rights and protections that other Bangladeshi citizens are afforded. International and domestic NGOs should continue to support the Bihari community as they pursue social, political, and economic advancement as full citizens of Bangladesh. 16. A tolerant attitude is one of the most important elements to reduce the discrimination against the Bihari community. We propose that the government of Bangladesh establish a rehabilitation trust fund to mobilize funding from international 3