Terrorists bomb New Delhi mosque

New Delhi, India - At least 13 people were injured in two blasts in the premises of India's largest mosque, Jama Masjid in New Delhi on Friday.

Doctors at the Lok Nayak Jay Prakash hospital in the area confirmed that 13 injured were being treated at the hospital and only one person was seriously injured.

"Nobody has lost his life, Thank God..There is no damage to the structure of the mosque," Shivraj Patil, India's Home Minister told reporters.

According to police, two low-intensity bombs went off in the premises after the prayers early in the evening, causing widespread panic amongst the people.

An estimated 1,000 people had converged at the 17th century mosque located in the heart of Delhi on Friday, the day when Muslims offer their main weekly prayers.

The first blast took place near one of the main gates of the mosque and the other at a water tank used for ablutions.

"It was a deafening blast which caused great fear and panic amongst people. There was a near stampede as people rushed for safety," Naved Jehangir, a witness said.

People were evacuated from the mosque and shops in the area shut down as the situation turned volatile with angry crowds shouting slogans against the local administration for laxity in ensuring security.

Police and security agencies which later claimed the situation was under control, ruled out the hand of terrorists in the attack and called it an "act of mischief," NDTV network reported.

The attack comes close on the heels of attacks on religious places in India, including the twin blasts in the Hindu temple city of Varanasi on March 7, that killed 20 people.

The last terrorist attack in Delhi was on October 29 last year, when two explosions in two markets, killed 61 people and injured 210 others.

Syed Abdullah Bukhari, the chief Imam of the mosque, appealed to people to maintain calm and harmony.

"There are people who want to create hatred between Hindus and Muslims just like in Varanasi. We will fight them. We will not allow them to be successful," he said.

Delhi was placed on high alert and security in and around the Jama Masjid area was tightened to prevent any untoward incidence.