The stampede that killed at least 147 people at Chamuda Devi temple yesterday could have been triggered by a melee and police lathicharge that followed after the local MP was given privileged access to the shrine, eyewitnesses and people injured in the tragedy said.Devotees were agitated after Jaswant Singh Vishnoi, BJP MP from Jodhpur, was allowed to enter through a separate door, bypassing the long queue of people waiting all night for the darshan. As they surged forward, the police cut loose with lathis, and some people fell, the eyewitnesses said.CEO of Meherangarh Fort Museum - where the temple is located - Mahendra Singh said: "The Jodhpur saansad visited the mandir on Tuesday morning before the stampede. But I do not believe he had anything to do with the stampede. We still believe a gang of miscreants caused the stampede." Singh denied devotees had been lathicharged.Jodhpur Divisional Commissioner Kiran Soni on Wednesday said the toll in the tragedy could go past 200. "We have found that several bodies were taken straight for cremation," she said. Swaroop Rathi (20), currently in hospital, said the chaos began a few minutes after the VIP bypassed the queue. "I don't know who it was, but a man, with around 10 companions, was escorted by police and fort security directly to the temple," Rathi said. "A group of youngsters protested, saying they too must be allowed to take the same route. They pushed forward, and the police pushed them back. Twenty-two-year-old Manoj, recuperating from surgery in his ankle that he alleged was broken by a police lathi, said: People were pushing each other. I could not breathe, and sat down to recover. Suddenly a policeman asked me move out of the way, and hit me with his lathi. I tried to get up and run, but I couldn't move my leg," Manoj said. He alleged the police lathicharged people trying to escape from the stairwell.A doctor at the hospital said, "Manoj sustained a fracture on his ankle and will remain in the ward for a few more days. The cause of the injury is unknown. It could have been a lathi or it could be that he tripped and fell." Manoj's account tallies with that of a policeman on duty at the time of the incident. The policeman, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "I was stationed at the stairwell where people began getting crushed. I managed to climb the ramparts on the right side and escape. I ran to the temple and used the exit route. It was then that devotees and security personnel realized something was wrong."Another devotee, Mukesh Chauhan (28) managed to avoid the tragedy by 30 minutes, but 10 of his childhood friends were not so lucky."I was on my way back down when people started running and shouting. The number of security personnel was not enough to control the crowd. A VIP was being given special treatment, and some policemen were busy escorting him," he said. Reports about MP Jaswant Singh Vishnoi's visit to the temple before the stampede had begun to circulate in Jodhpur by Tuesday evening. When Vishnoi arrived at the Mathura Das Mathur Hospital to meet the injured, he was gheraoed by the families of the devotees. The MP was also reportedly manhandled, and he had to beat a hasty retreat.Despite repeated attempts, Vishnoi could not be contacted for a comment on Wednesday.
