A week after bomb attacks claimed 31 lives in the textile town, thousands of people gathered on Friday, amidst tight security for prayers at the Bada Kabristan mosque in Malegaon.

"Normally around 6,000 people visit the Bada Kabristan mosque on Fridays, but today there were much more people, including women and children," a local resident said, adding the prayers concluded peacefully.

"The kabristan was packed to full capacity and many people had to sit outside the masjid for the Friday namaz," the owner of a cycle shop, opposite the entrance of the mosque, said.

Strict security was being maintained with a posse of policemen deployed outside the mosque and also all over the communally sensitive north Maharashra town.

As part of security drill, people were not allowed to set up food stalls in the lane leading to Bada Kabristan. Those coming to offer prayers had neither brought their bicycles nor carried any luggage.