Two killed, 12 injured in blast in Ajmer Durgah

Ajmer, Oct 11 (UNI) At least two persons were killed and about a dozen others injured in a blast in Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisti's durgah here this evening.

An official spokesman told UNI that the blast occurred around 1815 hrs in the Aahata-e-Noor near the holy tomb in the durgah premises shortly after the roza 'iftar'. While one person was killed on the spot, a dozen others sustained injuries.

Nine of the injured were rushed to the Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College Hospital where one succumbed to his injuries, the spokesman said.

The nature of the blast and the cause behind it were yet to be ascertained, he added.

One of the deceased was identified as Mohammad Shahid of Mumbai.

Panic gripped the area for a short while as shopkeepers downed their shutters in the Durgah Bazar and other nearby markets after the blast and a stampede like situation prevailed in the Durgah and nearby areas.

However, after normalcy returned, the injured were shifted to the hospital and shopkeepers reopened their shops.

UNI