ABSTRACT
The Dhaka cantonment, surrounded on all sides by civilian areas, represents anachronism, privilege, power and increasing inconvenience to the rest of the city. The weakness of the state is at the crux of the matter in solving problems created by the powerful groups for Dhaka city and the country. The state can act like a tiger only when it is dealing with the poor, the women and other disadvantaged groups of people in the city but is generally given to surrender and cowardice when confronted by powerful groups, internal or external. The principal special groups of people in Dhaka city are the Biharis, Ahmadiyyas, Buddhists, Ismailis, dhangors and hijras. They are generally neglected, ignored, marginalised and sidelined and in some cases, even hated and persecuted. This has resulted in their fast disappearance from Dhaka city.
