Greater Noida, Sep 24: Passengers travelling on the double-decker bus that caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway in Uttar Pradesh’s Greater Noida had reportedly noticed a burning smell minutes before the blaze erupted; however, the driver and conductor allegedly continued smoking cigarettes inside the vehicle, according to the first information report (FIR).

Nine people, including a woman, were charred to death and several were seriously injured after a massive fire broke out in the bus, officials said.

The FIR stated that passengers had earlier objected to the driver and conductor smoking inside the bus. However, the two allegedly laughed off their objections and threatened the passengers, asking them to remain quiet and not raise the issue further.

According to the FIR, a strong burning odour subsequently began spreading through the moving bus.

The passengers noticed the smell and informed the driver about it, but he and the conductor allegedly dismissed their concerns, saying that such a smell was common inside the bus and that they often experienced it.

Despite repeated requests from the passengers to check the source of the smell, the driver allegedly did not carry out any inspection of the vehicle. Instead, he and the conductor continued smoking cigarettes while the bus was travelling on the expressway, the FIR said.

A few minutes later, flames were reportedly seen emerging from the front portion of the bus, causing panic among the passengers travelling inside the vehicle.

As the fire began spreading and passengers started screaming for help, the driver allegedly refused to stop the bus.

According to the FIR, the driver told the passengers, “I don’t care if you die, I won’t stop the bus.”

The incident involved a Bihar-registered sleeper tourist bus that was travelling from Delhi to Mahoba in Uttar Pradesh. The vehicle was carrying more than 35 people when the fire broke out on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida.

The blaze rapidly engulfed the bus, while thick and dense smoke filled the vehicle, making it extremely difficult for the passengers to find a way out.

Upon receiving the information, senior police officials, accompanied by the local police force, a rescue tender, and a fire tender stationed at the Jewar Toll Plaza, responded, according to the officials. Four additional fire tenders and a fire service unit immediately rushed to the scene and completely extinguished the fire.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the fire originated from a spark or blast in the bus’s air conditioning system, which ignited the engine’s lubricating oil and caused the fire to spread rapidly.

The driver and conductor were taken into custody, and a case was registered under relevant sections, officials said.

“A case has been registered under relevant sections regarding the incident, and both the driver and the conductor have been taken into custody. Further necessary legal proceedings are underway,” officials said.

Mumbai, Sep 24: The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) on Thursday launched a blistering attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI) and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing the electoral body of functioning like a “domestic servant” and eroding public faith in constitutional institutions.

Citing media investigative reports, the Thackeray camp, in an editorial in the party’s mouthpiece, ‘Saamana’, highlighted severe internal dissension within the Election Commission. It revealed that fellow Election Commissioners Sukhbir Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections at least 14 times over the last ten months against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar’s arbitrary and “mafia-like” style of functioning.

The editorial alleged that CEC Gyanesh Kumar repeatedly ignored these objections and continued to unilaterally add or delete voters’ names to benefit the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Left with no alternative, the two dissenting commissioners reportedly escalated the matter directly to the Cabinet Secretariat, thereby alerting the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) about the internal crisis within the poll body.

The editorial levelled serious allegations regarding the Special Summary Revision (SSR) process, terming it a systemic scam. “Approximately 13 crore voters have reportedly been disenfranchised across India under the guise of the SSR process, including prominent citizens and notable personalities. Over two crore voter names were allegedly removed from Maharashtra’s electoral rolls.

The editorial further pointed out an abrupt increase of 42 lakh votes during the recent Maharashtra Assembly elections, which facilitated a clear path for the BJP-led alliance’s victory,” claimed the editorial.

The editorial further stated that similar targeted deletions of lakhs of voters were allegedly carried out during the Assembly elections in West Bengal and Bihar. Directly targeting the Union Home Minister, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena described Amit Shah as the principal “mastermind” behind the constitutional degradation, while labelling former CEC Rajiv Kumar and current CEC Gyanesh Kumar as “constitutional mafias” and “executioners of democracy”.

It further accused the ECI leadership of undermining democracy by facilitating party splits and handing over original party names and symbols to breakaway factions.

The editorial asserted that the public has completely lost faith in constitutional bodies like the Supreme Court and the Election Commission.

Demanding immediate intervention from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the editorial stated, “As long as individuals like Amit Shah and Gyanesh Kumar remain in power, the Constitution of India holds no meaning. The Prime Minister must sack them immediately – only then can the country be saved. Since Shah and Kumar will not resign on their own, removing them is the only choice left before PM Modi,” it remarked.

The editorial praised opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Uddhav Thackeray, and Tejashwi Yadav for consistently speaking out against electoral irregularities, while hailing Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi for bringing internal wrongdoing to light.

Guwahati, Sep 24: Three people were burnt to death, and two others suffered critical injuries after the vehicle they were travelling in caught fire following a collision with a streetlight pole in Assam’s Nagaon district, police said on Thursday.

The accident occurred at Kenapatty near Puranigudam locality when the vehicle bearing registration number AR 01 W 5107 was travelling towards Guwahati from Arunachal Pradesh.

According to preliminary information, the driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a streetlight pole installed in the middle of the road.

The impact was followed by a fire that quickly engulfed the vehicle. Three occupants were trapped inside and could not escape the burning vehicle. They died at the spot after sustaining severe burn injuries.

Two others, identified as Vikas Kumar and Sonu Kumar, were seriously injured in the accident. They were initially rushed for medical treatment before being shifted to Guwahati, where their condition was reported to be critical.

Officials said the occupants were reportedly from Bihar and were travelling towards Guwahati when the accident took place.

Preliminary information suggested that the three deceased persons had boarded the vehicle midway through the journey.

Officials were working to establish their identities and ascertain the exact circumstances in which they had joined the journey.

Police said the vehicle was owned by Vikas Kumar, while Sonu Kumar was reportedly driving at the time of the accident.

The crash triggered panic in the area, with local residents and emergency personnel rushing to the spot after the vehicle caught fire.

Police and other authorities have begun an investigation to determine the precise sequence of events leading to the accident. Investigators are also examining whether speeding, loss of control, road conditions or any other factor contributed to the crash.

The bodies of the deceased were recovered from the vehicle, and further legal procedures are being carried out. Officials said more details, including the identities of the three deceased persons and the exact cause of the fire, would be known as the investigation progresses.