From Dharna Chowk to Azad Maidan: India’s historic protest sites

Delhi Police on Monday denotified Jantar Mantar in the heart of the city as a protest site

New Delhi: Touching history, past and contemporary, virtually every urban centre, be it Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai, or smaller towns such as Jaipur and Panaji, has its own protest site. Over the years, several have been denotified in the name of public convenience and there are those that still continue as free speech zones or resistance squares.

Some were sites of British oppression and many achieved cult status due to their association with Mahatma Gandhi, the original satyagrahi. As Delhi Police on Monday denotified Jantar Mantar in the heart of the city as a protest site, focus swivelled to other “Jantar Mantars” across the country, most of them close to the seat of power.

Here is a look at some of them, each evocatively named to recall its brush with history:

DHARNA CHOWK, HYDERABAD

A stretch of road along Indira Park in Domalguda, barely two kilometres from the state secretariat, it was designated as the city’s protest venue by the undivided Andhra Pradesh government around 2005, after years of agitations around the park led local media to mockingly dub the area “Dharnaguda.” It went on to become the nerve centre of the Telangana statehood movement, with K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) among the leaders who repeatedly staged protests there.

In 2017, the same KCR-led then Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government shut the site, citing law and order concerns and complaints from residents, and proposed shifting protests to the city’s outskirts. The move united the opposition, and a call to “Occupy Dharna Chowk” by M Kodandaram’s Telangana Joint Action Committee ended in clashes. The High Court ordered it reopened in 2018, observing that dissent cannot be suppressed in a democracy. In an irony not lost on critics, the TRS itself held a dharna there in 2021. Not far away, Gun Park near the Assembly, home to the Telangana Martyrs’ Memorial, remains another rallying point.

FREEDOM PARK, BENGALURU

Modelled after Hyde Park of London, it has a dedicated space for public rallies and protests. Originally, there was a central jail built by British at this place and many freedom fighters were imprisoned and sent to gallows. Post-independence, many opposition leaders, including Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani, were imprisoned here during Emergency. It made way for Freedom Park in 2008, which also houses a jail museum.

AZAD MAIDAN, MUMBAI

Originally part of a vast open tract of land called the Esplanade, it was a site of public executions during the 1857 uprising and later became a key venue for nationalist protests during the freedom movement. Mahatma Gandhi held a massive rally here in 1931.

Just a few kilometres away is Mumbai’s other protest site – the August Kranti Maidan from where Gandhi launched the Quit India Movement in 1942. And not far off is Shivaji Park, another site for major political gatherings and public rallies.

BRIGADE PARADE GROUND, KOLKATA

Originally a parade ground for British East India Company forces after their victory in the Battle of Plassey, it became a central protest venue during the freedom movement, including for a rally organised by Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das against the Rowlatt Act.

India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru held a public reception for Soviet leaders here. Besides, Indira Gandhi invited Mujibur Rehman for an event here after the formation of Bangladesh following India’s victory against Pakistan, It also witnessed massive rallies by the successive state governments — Left, TMC and now the BJP.

Kolkata has other protest sites, including the Rani Rashmoni Avenue near Esplanade, Shaheed Minar Maidan and College Square.

GANDHI MAIDAN, PATNA

Previously known as Patna Lawns and Bankipore Maidan, this huge ground near the banks of the Ganga river has hosted several historic protests and rallies. The British developed this ground for military drills, horse racing, polo and a golf course. It later became a key rally site during the freedom movement, including for the Champaran movement and the Quit India movement.

Muhammad Ali Jinnah hosted a key Muslim League session in 1938, while Subhas Chandra Bose held a Forward Bloc meeting in 1939. After Independence, it became the launchpad for the JP movement when Jayaprakash Narayan gave a call for ‘Total Revolution’ against the Emergency.

TILAK GHAT, CHENNAI

Named after Bal Gangadhar Tilak and located on Marina Beach, it was a key protest site during the freedom struggle and hosted several top leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose and Annie Besant. However, it is no more a designated protest site.

Other protest sites in Chennai include Valluvar Kottam and Swami Sivananda Salai. In March 2025, police designated the latter as an alternative venue for protests after stopping permissions for demonstrations at Valluvar Kottam.

BOAT CLUB, DELHI

Long before Jantar Mantar got identified as a protest site, rather than an observatory, the expansive Boat Club lawns just a few kilometres away near Parliament and Rashtrapati Bhavan was the primary venue for rallies, demonstrations and agitations.

The 1988 farmer agitation led by Mahendra Singh Tikait, who brought a massive crowd of over five lakh people with tractors and cattle, led to the start of a clampdown on protests at Boat Club. In 1993, protests were banned at the Boat Club following the Babri Masjid demolition, though a court order in 2018 briefly allowed it to be a protests venue again alongside Jantar Mantar.

Not far from these two Lutyens’ Delhi sites, Ramlila Ground remains a designated protest site, though at a cost. Syama Prasad Mookerjee launched a satyagraha in 1952 demanding complete integration of Jammu and Kashmir into the Indian Union at Ramlila Ground. Socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan addressed a massive rally here on June 25, 1975 — the day Emergency was declared. It was also the site of the 2011 anti-corruption movement.

Other cities also have their own designated places for protests.

Lucknow has got Eco Garden, Panaji has its own Azad Maidan and Campal Parade Ground, Gun Park and Livery Circle, and Jaipur has Shaheed Smarak.

With the inputs from PTI