Army officer booked for assaulting 4 SpiceJet staffers over baggage row

A passenger, identified by SpiceJet as an Army officer, allegedly assaulted four of its ground staffers at the Srinagar airport on July 26.

In a statement released on Sunday, an airline spokesperson said, “A passenger grievously assaulted four SpiceJet employees at the boarding gate of flight SG-386 from Srinagar to Delhi. One of our staffers suffered a spinal fracture while others ended with serious injuries after being attacked with punches, repeated kicks and a queue stand.”

The airline filed a complaint with the local police, following which an FIR was registered. One employee collapsed unconscious on the floor, but the accused continued kicking and hitting him, it said, adding, “Another staff member suffered bleeding from the nose and mouth after receiving a forceful kick to the jaw while trying to assist the colleague who had fainted.”

Video clips of the incident shared on social media showed the passenger assaulting the staff and one of them being hit with a queue stand at the airport.

The passenger, a senior Army officer, was reportedly carrying two pieces of cabin baggage weighing a total of 16 kg, more than double the permitted limit of 7 kg. “When politely informed of the excess baggage and asked to pay the applicable charges, the passenger refused and forcefully entered the aerobridge without completing the boarding process, a clear violation of aviation security protocols. He was escorted back to the gate by a CISF official,” the airline stated. At the gate, the passenger allegedly grew increasingly aggressive and physically assaulted four members of the ground staff.

An FIR has been registered with the local police and the airline has initiated the process to place the passenger on the no-fly list in accordance with civil aviation regulations. “SpiceJet has written to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, apprising it of the incident and has requested appropriate action against the passenger. The airline has secured the CCTV footage from the airport authorities and handed it over to the police,” the statement added.

When contacted, the accused claimed, “It was a grave provocation and harassment by the airline (which led to the incident).” He has also submitted a complaint against the airline staff at Budgam police station and a counter FIR has been registered.

In a statement, an Army spokesperson said, “The matter involving an alleged altercation between an Army personnel and airline staff at Srinagar Airport has come to the fore. The Army is committed to uphold highest standards of discipline and conduct and takes all allegations seriously. Full cooperation is being extended to the authorities in investigating the case.”