Army officer who assaulted SpiceJet staff at Srinagar airport put on no-fly list for 5 years

The incident, videos of which went viral, took place on July 26 at the boarding gate for flight SG 386 from Srinagar to Delhi

A senior Indian Army officer who allegedly assaulted SpiceJet staffers at Srinagar airport on July 26 has been placed on the airline’s no-fly list for five years, two officials close to the development said.

The officer assaulted four SpiceJet staffers. (HT File/Sourced)

“The passenger who hit the airline staff has been declared unruly, and it has been decided to put him on the airline’s no-fly list. He will not be able to fly in any of the SpiceJet domestic or international flights for five years,” one of the officials said.

A second official added that the decision was made by an internal committee set up under the Civil Aviation Rules (CAR), which recommended imposing the ban on the passenger. This committee included three independent people - two retired judges and one representative of another airline.

A first information report (FIR) under Section 115 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered against the lieutenant colonel-rank officer posted in Kashmir. In its letter to the civil aviation ministry, the airline had described the incident as a “murderous assault” on its staff.

A comment from SpiceJet is awaited.

The incident occurred on July 26 at the boarding gate of flight SG 386 from Srinagar to Delhi, following a disagreement over the payment of extra baggage charges during boarding.

At the time, the airline stated that the officer was carrying two cabin bags, weighing a total of 16 kg, more than double the permitted limit of 7 kg.

The airline said the passenger refused to comply and forcefully entered the aerobridge without completing the boarding process in violation of aviation security protocols.

“He was escorted back to the gate by a CISF official,” the airline said.

“At the gate, the passenger grew increasingly aggressive and physically assaulted four members of the SpiceJet ground staff,” it added.

One of the four staffers suffered a spinal fracture and jaw injuries.

A video of the incident, showing the officer hitting staff with a queue stand, went viral on August 3.

Under the aviation regulations on unruly passengers, passengers who are "verbally unruly" can face a no-fly ban for up to three months, up to six months for “physical unruliness”, or, be debarred from flying for a minimum of two years for “life-threatening behaviour”.

The rules allow aggrieved passengers to appeal within 60 days to an appellate committee headed by a retired high court judge. The panel also has representatives of passengers association/consumer association/retired officer of Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum and other airlines as members.

The committee must decide the case within 30 days, and its decision is binding on the airline.

According to data tabled in the Rajya Sabha on August 5, India has placed 379 passengers on the ‘no-fly list’ over the last five years, including 48 people added to the list until July 30 this year alone.

In 2020, only 10 people were placed on the list. The following year, 66 individuals were added to this list. In 2022, another 63 people were added to the list, while 2023 saw 110 people added to the no-fly list, the highest number to date. This figure declined to 82 in 2024.