Socio-Spatial Segregation in Indian Cities: Legal Violence and the Marginalization of Muslim Communities

In India’s booming urban sprawl, Muslim communities are being boxed into corners geographically, socially, and economically. This paper explores the socio-spatial segregation of Muslim communities in Indian megacities, focusing on how systemic discrimination in housing perpetuates cycles of exclusion, poverty, and marginalization. It critically examines the interaction between legal neglect, private discrimination, and social violence that reinforce spatial and social boundaries. Despite constitutional protections for equality, private actors and social practices often undermine these guarantees, leading to practices such as discriminatory enforcement, communal violence, and territorial stigmatization of Muslim neighborhoods. These processes result in deteriorating living conditions, declining property values, and increased police surveillance, reinforcing their marginalized status. The paper advocates for comprehensive legal reforms and urban policies that aim to foster inclusive housing, promote social justice, and address structural inequalities that sustain spatial segregation. By reimagining urban spaces as sites of inclusion, these reforms can challenge entrenched inequalities and facilitate better integration of Muslim communities into urban life.