Major Indian carriers have banned the Indian Army officer accused of violently assaulting four SpiceJet employees at Srinagar airport in July, broadening the no-fly restrictions earlier enforced by SpiceJet and the aviation regulator, according to a Hindustan Times report.
Officials said the coordinated action underscores the industry’s zero-tolerance stance after the attack left one staffer with severe spinal injuries.
Major Indian airlines — IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express and Akasa Air — have barred Lieutenant Colonel Ritesh Kumar Singh from flying, citing the “gruesome nature of the attack” at Srinagar airport on July 26, officials aware of the matter said on Monday.
One official said the assault “left one of the employees with two fractures on his back, making him bedridden for three months.”
The incident occurred at the boarding gate of SpiceJet flight SG 386 from Srinagar to Delhi. According to the airline, the dispute began after staff informed the officer that his two cabin bags weighed 16kg, far above the 7kg limit.
“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,” SpiceJet said.
“At the gate, the passenger grew increasingly aggressive and physically assaulted four members of the SpiceJet ground staff.”
A video circulated on August 3 showed the officer striking staff members with a queue stand.
Another official said the employees were subjected to “grave physical abuse as well as life-threatening violence and grievous hurt when the passenger slapped, punched and kicked them in the back, face and abdomen.”
“The acts and conduct of the unruly passenger in the video clearly showed that he was the first one to react, assault and/or hit the complainants, and not vice versa. There was no provocation or humiliation to the passenger since what was being sought from him to comply (payment for extra baggage) is a norm that is followed by all airlines. Hence, such grave physical assault is absolutely unacceptable in any scenario,” the official added.
A senior aviation official said the collective ban was intended to send a strong message to protect frontline workers. “This level of violence cannot be normalised,” the official said, noting the sector’s zero-tolerance approach.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has already placed the officer on a five-year no-fly list. An FIR was filed by the airline, which also submitted CCTV footage to police. The officer filed a counter-complaint, following which another FIR was registered against airline staff.
The injured SpiceJet employee said the attack was prolonged and brutal. “He hit me with the bag, he punched me and slapped me till blood started oozing from my mouth and nose. Then I fell unconscious. Later, I saw in the videos that he was not allowing anyone to even pick me up. He even assaulted four employees,” he said. “Had I been wrong, then it was a different story… I was only doing my job honestly.”
SpiceJet had earlier declared the officer “unruly” and banned him across all its flights. Under aviation rules, he has the right to appeal the ban, which runs until 2030. The Army has said it is cooperating fully with the investigation.