Sohrabuddin was no angel and was facing 56 serious cases : BJP

New Delhi, Apr 27 (UNI) Objecting to the manner in which the ruling alliance tended to ''glorify'' Gujarat fake encounter victim Sohrabuddin Sheikh, the BJP said he was no angel but a criminal facing 56 serious cases in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

BJP Parliamentary Party spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra said the party will not say anything on the nature of encounter since it was pending before the Supreme Court but glorifying him as someone innocent was totally wrong.

He faced several cases, including possession of 24 AK 56 rifles, hand granades and 81 magazines of AK 56 and over 5000 cartridges, which were seized from his native village of Zarania.

He faced cases in Ahmedabad, Ujjain, Kolhapur, Udaipur for violating various laws including Terrorists and Disruptive Activities (prevention) Act, Mr Malhotra claimed.

He said the BJP would accept the decision of the Court which was inquiring into the allegations of killing Sohrabuddin in a fake encounter by the Gujarat police. He said these parties had cried wolf when police had killed a terrorist gang including a Mumbai-based girl.

Political parties had even announced compensation for this woman but retracted when they realised that she indeed was hand in glove with the terrorists, he added.

Asked about Congress' demand for a CBI probe into the encounter, Mr Malhotra said it was up to the Court to decide on the nature of probe it required.

The BJP did not have much faith in the investigation agency because its credibility had been ''bruised'' during the UPA regime, he said.

UNI