Lucknow, Jul 15 (PTI) Ramon Magsaysay awardee social activist Sandeep Pandey on Thursday questioned the arrest of several people by Uttar Pradesh ATS for alleged links to al Qaeda, claiming there are many loopholes in this action.

Addressing a press conference organised by Rihai Manch, he said the kin of those arrested have themselves raised serious questions on it.

He alleged that many innocent people were arrested earlier also on false charges of terrorism but "were later acquitted by courts".

Pandey said that the way the recovery of pressure cookers was publicised after the arrests in the name of al Qaeda, it seems that keeping this essential item in the house has become a crime.

In the press conference, the relatives of those arrested from Lucknow were also present.

Rihai Manch president Muhammad Shuaib termed the arrests as an "attempt to take advantage in the upcoming assembly elections".

Minhaz Ahmad and Musheeruddin were arrested from the outskirts of Lucknow on June 11 and the ATS had claimed the two were planning explosions, including using "human bombs", at several places in Uttar Pradesh.

A huge amount of explosives was also seized from their houses here.

ADG (law and order) Prashant Kumar had said Ahmed and Musheeruddin, on the instructions of Umar Halmandi, the head of the Uttar Pradesh module of the Al-Qaeda, along with their associates were planning to "unleash terror activities before August 15 in different cities of the state, especially in capital Lucknow.

Three more suspected terrorists -- Shakeel, Mohammad Mustqueem and Mohammad Moid -- were arrested on Wednesday.

Minhaj's father Sheraj Ahmed and Musheeruddin's wife Saeeda made several allegations against the ATS.

They said that Minhaj and Musheeruddin, who are living in extreme poverty, are being described by ATS as dreaded terrorists.

"If this was true, then there would be not be financial crisis for them," they said.

Rihai Manch general secretary Rajiv Yadav alleged that the BJP government of the state was creating an anti-Muslim environment to divert the attention of the public from the real issues.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)