Birgunj, January 21:

Prithvi Giri, driver of the bus, Na 3 Kha 1387, which suddenly caught fire at Pasaha in Bara district on Friday, said today the arson was pre-planned.

Giri said he and bus conductor Siya Sharan Shah fled the accident scene to prevent from being beaten by the passengers and others.

Giri today voluntarily walked into the police post in presence of officials from the Narayani Transport Entrepreneurs’ Association to facilitate investigation into the case.

Giri told the police that he had heard a noise similar to that of an explosion

of a battery and smoke followed by a fire swallowed up the bus.

“We fled from the scene to save our lives as it is always the transport workers who are victims in cases of bus accidents, vandalism, arson or any other incident,” Giri told media persons.

Two persons got on the bus just after crossing the Bakaiya river and they pressed the driver to stop the bus in a jungle area and got off.

The bus started burning some 10 minutes after the youths got off the bus, while it was parked near Pasaha river, he added.

Preliminary examinations have revealed that some inflammable substance caused the arson, Armed Police Force deputy inspector general at central regional APF headquarters, Pathlaiya, Shailendra Shrestha told this daily while flatly denouncing the claim by the Tarai Army of carrying out the blast. Eight passengers died and 21 others were injured in the incident.

Meanwhile, commander of the outlawed armed group Tarai Army, Mr John, in a telephone interview to the local Radio Birgunj FM, owned up the blast.

He said the bus was blasted for defying the three-day highway bandh. He said he did not regret the incident.