"This has got nothing to do with the security of the prime minister's house, as it was a private dispute," police spokesman Deependra Pathak told AFP.

Pathak said one "civilian" was injured in the shooting at a petrol station several hundred metres (yards) from Singh's official residence in New Delhi. He said the man was hospitalised for treatment.

At the time of the shooting, some 400 commandos and paramilitary forces were tasked with guarding Singh's residence, which has a three-tier security cordon.

The premier was not at home and staff at his residence said they had not heard the shooting.

"There was no breach in the PM's security. The incident happened quite a distance from here," a staff member, who asked not to be named, told AFP by telephone.