The Kangra Police have arrested a man accused of setting two government buses on fire in Baijnath. Superintendent of Police, Dharamshala, confirmed that the arrest was made following a detailed investigation based on technical evidence and CCTV footage.

The accused has been identified as Sushant (34), son of Krishna Kumar, a resident of Bharwana Dhar village in Palampur tehsil. He was taken into custody by a special team from Baijnath Police Station on Saturday.

During interrogation, the accused confessed to committing the act under the influence of alcohol, police sources said. The motive behind the incident is still under investigation.

The incident occurred around 1:15 a.m. on November 6, when a Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus (HP68-5075) and a Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) bus (CH01-GA-7797) parked near the Government Senior Secondary School, Baijnath, suddenly caught fire. Both vehicles were completely gutted within minutes.

According to Sunil Kumar, a driver at the HRTC depot in Nagrota Bagwan, he was resting in a nearby room with his conductor when he heard noises outside. Upon stepping out, he saw both buses engulfed in flames near their engines. He suspected that an unidentified person had deliberately set the vehicles ablaze.

A case (No. 149/2025) was registered at Baijnath Police Station under Section 326(G) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 4 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984.

Earlier, HRTC Vice President Ajay Verma and Baijnath MLA Kishori Lal visited the site and took stock of the situation. Both termed the incident “extremely unfortunate” and assured that the culprits would not be spared.

Ajay Verma directed officials to strengthen security arrangements at bus stands and parking areas, and to ensure regular night patrolling. MLA Kishori Lal added that the state government is treating the matter seriously and that strict action will be taken against anyone responsible for damaging public property.