Bhubaneswar, Nov. 29 -- The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a sweeping national directive to all States and Union Territories to identify and remove sleeper buses that violate approved safety standards.

In its order, the Commission called recent incidents of bus fires 'criminal negligence' and cited systemic failures in manufacturing, inspection, and certification. The order was issued after a detailed complaint regarding a fatal sleeper bus fire in Rajasthan.

During its hearing, the NHRC noted that many sleeper coaches across India continue to operate with illegal structural modifications, including fully sealed driver cabins that block communication during emergencies and prevent early detection of fires.

The compl...