<p> New Delhi, Oct 9 (PTI): Left parties on Friday condemned restrictions imposed ahead of the October 10 mobilisation against the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and the Election Commission's functioning, demanding that the Delhi Police allow protesters to assemble at Jantar Mantar here.</p><p> The parties cited the denial of permission for the demonstration, extensive barricading, prohibitory orders, the closure of 45 metro stations, the cancellation of trains heading to Delhi, and alleged house arrests in various parts of the country as measures aimed at preventing the mobilisation.</p><p> "There are reports of students being put under detention in various places and the offices of student organisations are under surveillance," said the joint statement issued by the CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML)-Liberation, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and All India Forward Bloc (AIFB).</p><p> The crackdown comes as the Cockroach Janta Party prepares for a massive demonstration at Jantar Mantar on Saturday.</p><p> The Left parties said the restrictions were also inconveniencing the general public. "We demand that the Delhi Police and the Union government stop intimidating and harassing prospective participants and refrain from arbitrary detention of people," they said, urging the authorities to remove hurdles and permit the protest at Jantar Mantar.</p><p> CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby said the Supreme Court had heard the challenge to the restrictions on movement in Delhi, with senior advocate Kapil Sibal appearing for the petitioners. Baby said the court had observed that while the government could regulate movement, it could not stop traffic altogether, as students, workers and ordinary citizens also needed to travel.</p><p> The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre to ensure there is no "complete prohibition" on metro and train services to Delhi on October 10, saying it cannot bring everything to a halt. The top court said while law enforcement agencies can take steps to restrict unruly movement, citizens should not be unduly harassed.</p><p> The Solicitor General said he would convey the suggestion to the authorities to consider an alternative designated site for the protest.</p><p> "Delhi has become a city of barricades," Baby said, alleging that barricading and the deployment of security personnel were creating an atmosphere of intimidation. "We will take up this issue very seriously," he said, adding that the Left parties would participate in Saturday's mobilisation.</p><p> Separately, CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding that Jantar Mantar be opened for the demonstration, metro stations reopened, and the detention of activists stopped.</p><p> "Every method of reaching out to your insensitive government has been met with barricades and lathis," Kumar said in the letter. "I wish to make it categorically clear that turning Delhi into a military cantonment will not deter us," he said, alleging that transport restrictions and the detention of activists were preventing people from joining the mobilisation.</p><p> CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said, "Meanwhile, the CJI has advised the government not to use a hammer to kill a fly! Does that leave room for using hammers for cockroaches?"</p><p> He said with trains cancelled and metro services stopped, the government has "laid a siege around themselves and turned the whole of Delhi into a huge police camp or paramilitary cantonment".</p><p> "Has independent India ever witnessed such fear of democracy and peaceful mass protest?" he said.</p><p> Baby, CPI general secretary D Raja, CPI(ML)-Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, AIFB general secretary G Devarajan, and RSP general secretary Manoj Bhattacharya signed the joint statement. PTI AO ASD</p><p><i>(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)</i></p>
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