India, Sept. 25 -- Two drivers arrested in connection with a fire that engulfed an AC sleeper bus in Greater Noida have denied allegations that they were smoking inside the vehicle, which passengers claiming their act may have triggered the blaze.

"No, this is wrong. We don't smoke at all," the drivers were quoted as telling the police, according to The Times of India.

The accused drivers and the conductor were produced before the District and Sessions Court in Surajpur on Thursday and subsequently remanded to 14 days of police custody.

Passengers travelling on the sleeper bus, which caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway in Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida, reportedly complained of a burning smell minutes before the blaze erupted. However,...