South Asia State of Minorities Report 2019 bills, unavailable to most Bihari households, and internal memos encouraging officials not to issue paperwork to ‘nonBengalis’. 10 The Dalit Population Background Caste- and descent-based discrimination in Bangladesh is a complex, multifaceted issue as ‘it results from a variety of often overlapping factors, including caste, religion, place of birth or families/descendants’ place of birth and occupation.’11 Though the reality of caste discrimination in Bangladesh is concealed by silence, even outright denial, the Dalit community experiences multiple forms of social, political and economic discrimination. Their predicament, enabled by the tacit acceptance of the government, is in violation of Bangladesh’s fundamental human rights obligations. Though they are recognised as citizens of the country, their continued stigmatisation on account of their caste and professional identity can leave them in a situation of de facto statelessness. While relatively little research has been conducted on the community, studies suggest that there are between 5.5 and 6.5 million Dalits and members of similarly excluded groups in Bangladesh, amounting to between 3 and 4 per cent of the population. Unfortunately, while the 2011 Census could have been used to gather much more detailed information on their situation, these categories were not included. The absence of reliable and disaggregated data is a major factor in the continued barriers Dalits face in gaining political representation, accessing public services and securing employment. In many cases, their discrimination is underpinned by the fact that many belong to religious minorities: Dalits and other marginalised groups have been estimated to comprise as much as 70 per cent of the Hindu population in Bangladesh, for instance.12 10 Khalid Hussain, ‘Biharis: On becoming citizens of Bangladesh’, FOCUS, March 2016, volume 83, Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Centre. 11 Mazharul Islam and Altaf Parvez, Dalit Initiatives in Bangladesh, IDSN, October 2013, p.12. 12 Ibid. 20