Nine people were injured in back-to-back blasts at a busy automobile market in Jammu city on Saturday, triggering worries about the security of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, camping 60km away and scheduled to enter the city on Monday.

A Congress leader in Jammu said the Yatra would continue as scheduled but the party was open to discussing changes to the route based on security advice.

The blasts at Narwal, involving bombs kept in cars, come amid a surge in militant attacks in the Jammu region over the past few months.

Rahul’s Yatra reached Chadwal village in Kathua district on Friday and took a daylong break on Saturday. Congress sources said Rahul was not in Jammu when the blasts took place but would return later on Saturday.

“He had flown to Pathankot (Punjab) in view of the break. But he is coming back today to lead the Yatra tomorrow,” a Congress leader told The Telegraph.

He said that on Monday, the Yatra would start from Vijaypur in Samba district and reach Jammu city.

“We are committed to continuing the Yatra but will also be guided by the security establishment. Even before the blasts, we had decided to curtail our foot march following advice on security and the weather,” he said.

Security for the Yatra has been tight. On Friday, security forces had used a rope ring, involving dozens of security personnel, to prevent anybody getting close to VVIPs.

Jaswinder Singh, president of the Motor Spare Parts Association who witnessed the blasts, said the first explosion occurred around 11am in a car that had come for repairs.

“The second blast took place 15 to 20 minutes later in a scrap vehicle,” he said.

CCTV footage showed smoke billowing while some people were still walking by the site.

A journalist said he had arrived at the spot soon after the first blast. “The second blast went off while some journalists and policemen were at the spot,” he said.

Additional director-general of police Mukesh Singh said the injured had been shifted to hospital and were stable. A local BJP leader claimed that some of the injured were critical.

Singh said the area had been cleared of people immediately after the first blast and that the second blast took place 50 metres away.

Police, who suspect the blasts were carried out by militants, identified some of the injured as Vishav Pratab, Suhail Iqbal, Vinod Kumar, Arjun Kumar, Amit Kumar, Rajesh Kumar and Aneesh, all from the Jammu region.

Lieutenant gover nor Manoj Sinha announced Rs 50,000 for each injured. “Such dastardly acts highlight the desperation and cowardice of those responsible,” he said, calling for “immediate and firm action”.

Congress MP and Jammu and Kashmir minder Rajani Patil condemned the twin blasts.

Aam Aadmi Party leader Harsh Dev Singh slammed the BJP, saying the security situation in the Union Territory was going from bad to worse.