Advani, Jaswant express grief at temple tragedy

New Delhi, Sep 30 (UNI) The BJP expressed grief at the Chamunda Mata temple tragedy at Jodhpur in Rajasthan, in which 144 people were killed and more than 150 others injured this morning.

In a statement, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L K Advani said he was deeply saddened by the news of the stampede at the Temple, situated on the hill top of the Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur.

''The joyous occasion of the beginning of the Navaratri festival has thus turned into a terrible tragedy,'' he said.

Talking to newspersons, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Jaswant Singh who is a founder-trustee of the temple, said there was adequate security arrangement at the temple but the crowd of devotees was unprecedented. It was too early to blame 'anybody' for the tragedy, he said.

Refusing to admit that the Rajasthan Government had failed to make elaborate arrangements at the temple which caused the stampede, Mr Singh said he would be able to comment only after visiting the site.

''The tragedy is really shocking as most of the dead are youth aged between 15 years and 27 years,'' he said.

UNI KAS/MCN MIR CS1722