SpiceJet on Sunday said a senior army officer who had been asked to pay charges for excess baggage assaulted four members of its ground staff at Srinagar airport, leaving one with a spinal fracture and another with a broken jaw.
Terming the July 26 incident a “murderous assault”, SpiceJet said it had filed an FIR with Srinagar police and initiated the process to place the passenger, identified as Lieutenant Colonel R.K. Singh, on the no-fly list.
A case under Section 115 of the BNS (voluntarily causing hurt) has been registered against Singh, who was travelling to Delhi.
The identities of the assaulted airline staff have not been revealed. A SpiceJet source said they were all Kashmiris.
An army statement said: “This issue has come to the notice of the Indian Army, and we are awaiting the conclusion of the pending investigation. The Indian Army is fully committed to maintaining discipline and mutual respect in all civil spaces
across the country.”
Singh is posted at the army’s High Altitude Warfare School in Gulmarg.
The alleged assault took place at the boarding gate for Flight SG-386. Videos on social media appear to show a man hitting airline staff with a queue stand and raining kicks and punches on them. Some video clips show some of the victims cry out in pain, shout for help and collapse.
A Central Industrial Security Force official tried to intervene but failed to pacify the passenger, sources said.
“A passenger grievously assaulted four SpiceJet employees at the boarding gate of flight SG-386 from Srinagar to Delhi on July 26, 2025. Our staff members suffered a spinal fracture and serious jaw injuries after being attacked with punches, repeated kicks and a queue stand,” SpiceJet said in a statement.
According to the airline, the passenger continued kicking and hitting an employee until he collapsed unconscious on the floor.
“Another staff member suffered bleeding from the nose and mouth after receiving a forceful kick to the jaw while bending down to assist the colleague who had fainted,” it added.
The injured are being treated in hospital.
SpiceJet said it had secured CCTV footage of the incident from airport authorities and handed it over to the police.
SpiceJet has informed the civil aviation ministry about the “murderous assault” on its staff and requested appropriate action against the accused.
A SpiceJet spokesperson said the “airline will pursue this matter to its fullest legal and regulatory conclusion”.
The airline said the army officer was carrying two pieces of cabin baggage weighing 16kg, more than double the permitted limit of 7kg.
He was politely informed about the excess baggage and asked to pay the applicable charges, but the passenger refused and forcibly entered the aerobridge without completing the boarding process, a clear violation of aviation security protocols, SpiceJet alleged.
He was escorted back to the gate by a CISF official, but the passenger grew increasingly aggressive, the airline added.
It could not be immediately ascertained whether the passenger was detained at the airport after the incident.
Outrage in J&K
Political parties in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday condemned the assault and demanded that the army officer be held accountable.
“This is gundagardi!!This incident took place at Srinagar Airport, where an Army officer was seen brutally assaulting SpiceJet staff member(s), leaving him with serious injuries. It is highly condemnable & shameful. The officer must be held accountable,” National Conference spokesperson Sarah Hayat Shah posted on X.
PDP leader Iltija Mufti too demanded action against the officer.
“How dare this Army officer launch a murderous assault on employees at Srinagar airport simply for refusing excess cabin luggage? His demonic rage left one of the victims with a spinal fracture. @ChinarcorpsIA @adgpi Please take immediate action to set an example,” she said in a post on X.
Additional reporting by PTI