In a shocking incident at Srinagar airport, a senior Army officer physically assaulted four SpiceJet staff members after being asked to pay for excess cabin baggage on July 26. The officer, who was supposed to board a flight to Delhi, was reportedly carrying 16 kg of cabin luggage—more than double the permitted limit of 7 kg. When the ground staff politely informed him of the weight restriction and requested him to pay the applicable charges, the officer refused. According to a SpiceJet statement, he forcibly entered the aerobridge without completing boarding formalities, violating airport security protocol. A CISF official escorted him back, but tensions escalated from there.

Video footage of the incident, now circulating on social media, shows the officer violently attacking SpiceJet employees. One staff member was knocked unconscious after being hit with a queue stand, but the officer allegedly continued kicking the fainted employee. Another suffered a severe jaw injury and bleeding after being kicked while trying to help his unconscious colleague. SpiceJet confirmed that one of the staff members suffered a spinal fracture, while others sustained serious facial injuries. All the injured are currently under medical care. The airline has secured CCTV evidence and handed it over to local police.

Following the brutal assault, an FIR was registered against the Army officer, and SpiceJet has initiated the process of adding him to the no-fly list under aviation regulations. The incident adds to a growing list of in-flight and airport violence involving unruly passengers. Just days earlier, an IndiGo passenger slapped a fellow traveler onboard a Mumbai-Kolkata flight, leading to a flying ban. Civil aviation authorities are now under pressure to take stricter action against such cases to ensure the safety of airline personnel and passengers.