Valley again, Jama Masjid first time

At least 13 people, including a woman and a child, were injured in the incident. The condition of one is said to be serious. There was no damage to the mosque building.

The second bomb, kept in a polythene bag, exploded minutes after it was spotted by four policemen who alerted the Shahi Imam and asked him to turn to the public address system and get the complex emptied.

Police are drawing the portrait of a sari-clad woman who, after the first blast at 5.20 pm, began shouting that her child had fallen into the wazu or ablution pond. Five minutes later, people who jumped into the pond realised there was no child there. The woman too had disappeared.

Delhi Police Commissioner K K Paul said the blasts were of low-intensity but 8220;this appears to be a terrorist act and we are studying if there is any connection between these blasts and the serial blasts in Srinagar today.8221;

The Friday namaaz, usually attended by over 10,000 people, got over at 1.10 pm. The asar namaaz started at 5 pm with the devout going to the Wazu Khana and then heading for the namaaz. They were supposed to return again to the Wazu Khana at 5.15 pm after the namaaz.

8220;Thankfully, the namaaz got stretched. It was still on when the first explosion took place near the Wazu Khana. Salaam aur dua karkar uthne hi lage the, dhamaka ho gaya We had just finished our prayers when we heard a blast,8221; said Haji Mohammad, an eyewitness.

As the Shahi Imam rushed to the spot, the four policemen accompanying him noticed an unclaimed polythene bag. 8220;The Imam had already ordered on the loudspeaker that the doors to the complex be closed so that the culprits can8217;t escape. But then I spotted a white polythene bag lying barely two metres from the spot where the blast had taken place. We made a quick check to see if anyone was claiming the bag. Everyone said they had not seen the bag earlier. I knew it had to be another bomb,8221; said head constable Surinder Singh, Bukhari8217;s PSO.

Singh then alerted the Imam who then asked people to leave the complex as 8220;there8217;s another bomb.8221; This led to a virtual stampede. 8220;People were still rushing to the Wazu Khana where the second bomb lay. Many were lifting the injured and taking them to the ambulances. They were not listening to anyone,8221; said head constable Rajinder Singh.

At 5.35 pm, the second bomb went off. Two ambulances and PCR vans rushed the injured to the LNJP Hospital where the condition of Adil Rashid was said to be serious.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition L K Advani were among the first to condemn the incident. Demanding a thorough probe, Advani, speaking from Mumbai, said the Jama Masjid was targeted to 8220;hurt the morale of the country8221;.

8220;I condemn the blasts. Whoever may be behind them and whatever be the motivation, they were certainly trying to hurt the morale of the country8221;, Advani said.

Without directly blaming the government, he said, 8220;We periodically issue statements that the situation is under control. The blasts are aimed at disproving such claims8221;.

Advani8217;s Bharat Suraksha Yatra, launched in the wake of the Varanasi blasts, has been focusing on the government8217;s alleged failure in containing terrorism.

All-round condemnation

President A P J Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition L K Advani and a host of other political leaders have condemned the blasts at the historic Jama Masjid in Delhi and at several places in Srinagar and appealed to people to maintain communal harmony.

8226; 8216;8216;I am deeply pained that such inhuman acts have been carried out even on a day that is so important and holy for the whole people of India.8217;8217; 8212; A P J Abdul Kalam

8226; 8216;8216;Through the explosions, elements behind such incidents were aiming at disproving the claims that they have been contained. The blasts were aimed at hurting the country8217;s morale and need to be probed thoroughly.8217;8217; 8212; L K Advani

8226; 8216;8216;Such incidents are an attack on the secular nature of our society, and it is necessary to maintain peace in Delhi and the entire country.8217;8217; 8212; Home Minister Shivraj Patil

8226; 8216;8216;The ambitions of the terrorists to disturb communal harmony could not be fulfilled in Varanasi and yet again their efforts will prove futile.8217;8217; 8212; Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari

8226; 8216;8216;India is progressing fast and Pakistan is trying to create Shia-Sunni conflict by engineering bomb blasts at Jama Masjid and in Srinagar.8217;8217; 8212; VHP general secretary Pravin Togadia

8226; 8216;8216;There should be a thorough probe and quick steps to nab the culprits. People should not fall prey to any provocation but maintain peace and harmony to unitedly defeat the sinister designs.8217;8217; 8212; CPI secretary D Raja