Major airlines ban Army officer who attacked SpiceJet staff

Major Indian airlines have banned the army officer who allegedly assaulted four members of the SpiceJet staff at Srinagar airport in July

Major Indian airlines have banned the army officer who allegedly assaulted four members of the SpiceJet staff at Srinagar airport in July, an action prompted by the severity of the attack that left one of the employees severely injured, officials aware of the details said on Monday.

The incident took place on July 26, at the boarding gate of flight SG 386 from Srinagar to Delhi. (AP)

“IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express and Akasa Air have imposed a ban,” one of the officials said on condition of anonymity. “This was done taking into account the gruesome nature of the attack that left one of the employees with two fractures on his back, making him bedridden for three months.”

The incident took place on July 26, at the boarding gate of flight SG 386 from Srinagar to Delhi. According to SpiceJet’s statement released after the incident, the dispute began after staff informed the officer, who was later identified as Lieutenant Colonel Ritesh Kumar Singh, that his two cabin bags weighed 16kg, more than double 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,” the airline had said. “At the gate, the passenger grew increasingly aggressive and physically assaulted four members of the SpiceJet ground staff.”

A video of the incident, showing the officer hitting staff with a queue stand, was widely circulated on August 3.

“The airline 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,” a second official aware of the details said on Monday.

“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,” he added.

Officials said the collective action was necessary to send a strong message about the safety of frontline aviation workers, who often face aggressive behaviour while enforcing basic rules.

“This level of violence cannot be normalised,” a senior official said, also on anonymity, adding that the ban reflects a zero tolerance approach across the sector.

To be sure, the passenger, as per civil aviation rules (CAR), has a right to appeal the ban, which is till 2030.

SpiceJet had, in August, declared the officer “unruly” and placed him in the airline’s No Fly List, barring him from flying any of their domestic, international, scheduled or non- scheduled flights. The airline also lodged a case with the local police and handed over CCTV footage of the incident. In a statement on August 3, the army had said it is fully cooperating with the authorities in the investigations into the case.