August 27, 2003	Wednesday	Jumadi-us-Sani 28, 1424

NEW DELHI, Aug 26: While Indian authorities on Tuesday blamed Muslim militants for car bombings in Mumbai that killed 52 people, astrologers are convinced the culprit was Mars, which is dangerously close to Earth.

Astrologers believe the current positions of the moon, Mars, Saturn and Rahu — an imaginary malefic planet in the horoscope — bode ill for the near future, with the Indian government due to make wrong decisions and the public responding violently.

Astrologer R.L. Kanthan told The Times of India that the spell of misfortune will not ease until September 20 with the movement of Mars, the planet that “portends violence, wars, bloodshed and combat”.

Satish Sharma, another astrologer, saw Thursday as a day of arson and rioting, as the Earth, Mars and the sun would be all in one line.

He said another example of the impending chaos was the political turmoil in India’s most populous state Uttar Pradesh, whose leader, Mayawati, quit on Tuesday.

Sharma noted that the symbol of Mayawati’s party was the elephant — associated with Rahu.—AFP