Srinagar, August 3:
A Lieutenant Colonel of the Indian Army allegedly assaulted SpiceJet ground staff at Srinagar Airport during a heated altercation over excess cabin baggage, resulting in serious injuries, including a spinal fracture and a broken jaw.
The incident took place at Boarding Gate No. 2 just minutes before the scheduled departure of SpiceJet Flight SG-386 to Delhi on July 26.
The officer was later identified as Lt. Colonel Ritesh Kumar Singh, currently posted at the High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) in Gulmarg. Sources confirmed to the Srinagar-based news agency Kashmir Dot Com that the officer was booked on Seat 24D of the Delhi-bound SpiceJet flight, scheduled to depart at 1810 hours.
Sources said the altercation began when the officer was informed that his two cabin bags weighed 16 kilograms—more than twice the permitted 7 kg limit. When politely asked to pay the applicable excess baggage fee, he allegedly refused and attempted to forcibly enter the aerobridge without completing the mandatory boarding formalities.
“He was intercepted by a CISF official and escorted back to the gate,” the source said.
According to an official statement from SpiceJet, the situation escalated into violence at the boarding gate.
“The passenger grievously assaulted our staff members with punches, repeated kicks, and even used a queue stand as a weapon,” a spokesperson for the airline stated.
“One employee collapsed unconscious and was continuously kicked. Another suffered serious facial injuries, including a fractured jaw, while trying to help his colleague.”
Airport medical staff provided initial treatment before the injured employees were taken to a hospital. One staffer reportedly sustained a spinal fracture, while the other had severe jaw and facial injuries with bleeding from the nose and mouth.
SpiceJet has obtained CCTV footage from airport authorities and submitted it to the police as part of the investigation. A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against the officer with the local police.
The airline has also written to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, describing the incident as a “murderous assault” and requesting strict action.
“We strongly condemn any act of violence against our employees and will pursue this matter to its fullest legal and regulatory conclusion,” the airline said.
Personnel from the Airport Security Group (ASG) intervened swiftly and brought the situation under control without disrupting flight operations. The flight later departed as scheduled.
As of now, there has been no official response from the Army. The matter is currently under investigation by local police. (KDC)
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