No impact of Jama Masjid shooting on Games: Bhanot

NEW DELHI - The shooting outside Jama Masjid here Sunday in which two foreign tourists were injured will not impact the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Delhi, Organising Committee secretary general Lalit Bhanot said.

Bhanot said that the home ministry and Delhi Police have made elaborate arrangements to provide a safe and secure environment for the athletes and officials scheduled to arrive soon in the host city.

The Commonwealth Games Association is satisfied with the plans and preparations made by police and the international security liaison group formed by the ministry, Bhanot said.

Some 7,000 participants and officials from 71 countries and terrorities are expected to attend the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games, India’s biggest sporting event after the 1982 Asian Games.

Meanwhile, a red alert has been sounded in the capital following the shooting incident and suspicious vehicles are being checked.

Two gunmen on a motorcycle opened random fire at one of the entrances to the Jama Masjid here around 11.30 a.m., leaving two Taiwanese tourists wounded.

The attackers fired at least 10 rounds at a group of tourists alighting from a bus outside the 16th-century red sandstone mosque in the old quarters of the city.

According to police, the attackers were fair complexioned and tall youth and were not wearing any masks on their face.

A man has been detained by police in connection with the shooting.