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.

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