Jaisalmer sleeper bus fire: Driver and bus owner arrested, 22 dead, 5 on ventilators; read what has happened so far

On October 14th, a sleeper bus caught fire in Jaisalmer, killing 22 people. Following the accident, the police arrested driver Shaukat and owner Turab Ali today. The bus had been purchased just eight days earlier. This report details what has happened since the accident.

Jaisalmer: Police have arrested the driver and the bus owner in connection with the sleeper bus fire incident that took place in Jaisalmer two days ago on Tuesday, October 14. Two cases were registered by Chandan Singh, brother of deceased journalist Rajendra Singh Chauhan, and Jagdish, brother of another deceased Gopi Lal Darji. In this case, Jaisalmer police have arrested bus owner Turab Ali and driver Shaukat. SP Abhishek Shivhare confirmed the arrests. He said that Turab Ali and Shaukat were detained on Wednesday night. Both were arrested after interrogation.

22 have died, 5 are currently on ventilators.

Passengers were severely burnt when a moving sleeper bus going to Jodhpur in Jaisalmer suddenly caught fire. Some passengers died due to burns and some died due to suffocation. So far 22 passengers have died and 5 passengers are seriously burnt and are on ventilator. Eight other passengers were also burnt and are undergoing treatment. All the injured are being treated at Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in Jodhpur. The dead bodies of the deceased were badly burnt, due to which it was difficult to identify them. In such a situation, after DNA test, the bodies were handed over to their families. There is one deceased whose family members are not known yet.

राजस्थान के जैसलमेर में बस में लगी आग, 10 लोगों की मौत, हालात बिगड़ते देख सेना ने संभाला मोर्चा https://t.co/t8HIwlFeug via @NavbharatTimes #Jaisalmer #Rajasthan #BurningBus pic.twitter.com/vB62i1wAWU

— Sambrat Chaturvedi | Rajasthan (@samjpr) October 14, 2025

The new sleeper bus had started running only eight days ago.

The sleeper bus in which the fire broke out. That bus RJ 09-PA-8040 is said to be new. Its operation had started only eight days before the accident. It had started running between Jaisalmer and Jodhpur. The registration of that bus was done in Chittorgarh. When the police team reached Chittorgarh, investigation revealed that the body of the bus was made in a factory located in Jodhpur. After this, the Jodhpur RTO team raided that factory located in Jodhpur. 66 chassis were seized from there. Many buses were also seized. After this accident, a campaign was started by the Transport Department to check sleeper buses. The buses which are found to be made against the rules. They are being seized.

Arrest of transport officials possible

A police investigation revealed that Chittorgarh transport officials had issued a permit for the sleeper bus despite the body being illegal. Consequently, the government suspended Chittorgarh's Acting DTO, Surendra Singh, and Assistant Administrative Officer, Chunni Lal, who approved the bus body, a day earlier. Now, the threat of arrest hangs over both officials. The police may arrest them.

PC:NBT