Tempo Traveller Catches Fire Near Sanaura, 37-Year-Old Driver Burned to Death

A devastating fire broke out late Monday night on the Sanaura–Giripul road in Himachal Pradesh’s Rajgarh subdivision (Sirmaur district) when a Tempo Traveller went up in flames, killing its 37-year-old driver. The tragic incident has shocked the entire region.

Police said that at around 12:53 a.m. on the night of October 21–22, the Rajgarh police station received an emergency call reporting that a Tempo Traveller (registration number HP-01-9091) had caught fire near Ganghat, Sanaura. A police team led by Sub-Inspector Rajesh Kanwar, in charge of the Yashwant Nagar police post, immediately rushed to the spot and managed to extinguish the flames. However, the driver had already perished in the fire, and his body was so badly charred that identification was initially impossible.

The deceased was later identified as Salim Mohammad (37), son of Naziruddin, a resident of Masli village in Chirgaon tehsil. Police sealed off the area and preserved the site for forensic examination.

On Tuesday morning, a team from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) visited the site and examined the burnt vehicle in the presence of the deceased’s family members.

Preliminary investigation revealed that Salim had left Chirgaon around 2:30 p.m. on Monday for Manimajra for vehicle repairs. Around 6 p.m., vehicle owner Sher Singh spoke to him over the phone near Neri Bridge—their last contact. Shortly after, Salim’s phone became unreachable.

Police have recorded statements from the vehicle owner as well as the driver’s brother and nephews. Burnt debris and collected samples have been sent for forensic testing. The body was taken to Dr. Y.S. Parmar Government Medical College, Nahan, for post-mortem examination.

Authorities have decided to conduct DNA testing to confirm identification and determine the exact cause of the fire. Further investigation is underway under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), as police continue to probe how the vehicle caught fire.