‘I was just doing my duty’: SpiceJet staffer recalls assault by army officer at Srinagar airport; says he ‘can’t move his back’ | Srinagar News

NEW DELHI: A SpiceJet ground staffer, who suffered two spinal fractures after allegedly being assaulted by an Indian Army officer at Srinagar airport, has broken his silence, saying he was only doing his duty and had never expected such violence in return.“Never thought something like this would happen. I was doing my duty honestly. Now I have two fractures in my spine. One of my colleagues fainted. Doctors have advised me complete bed rest,” the visibly shaken Mudasir Ahmed Khan told news agency PTI.“I was there at the boarding gate. So, I was helping with boarding and we have a 7kg limit to hand baggage. One passenger had 16 kgs of baggage. He was carrying two bags. When I told him that, he started shouting at me. I explained him the baggage rule, however, he was shouting. I called my senior and started helping other passengers… Finally, he started getting aggravated and started taking out his belongings from his bag at the board gate. He threw his belongings at another staff and then threw his trolley bag at me. Then he slapped and punched me multiple times. I was bleeding.”The incident took place on July 26, when Lieutenant Colonel R K Singh, posted at the Army’s High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) in Gulmarg, allegedly launched a violent assault on four SpiceJet staff members after a dispute over excess cabin baggage charges. The officer was to board flight SG-386 from Srinagar to Delhi.According to SpiceJet, the senior army officer was carrying two pieces of cabin baggage weighing 16kg, more than double the allowed 7kg limit. When the ground staff asked him to pay the applicable charges, the passenger refused and forcefully entered the aerobridge without completing the boarding process — a clear breach of aviation security protocols. A CISF officer escorted him back to the gate.It was there that the situation spiraled out of control.“Not just one, he beat up four staffers. One of my colleagues fainted, and while another bent down to help, he was kicked in the jaw, causing bleeding from the nose and mouth,” the injured staffer recounted. Following the incident, SpiceJet filed an FIR and also began the process to place the officer on the no-fly list, in accordance with aviation regulations. The airline termed it a “murderous assault” and condemned any act of violence against its staff. The four injured employees were taken to Bone and Joint Hospital and later referred to SMHS Hospital in Srinagar.Officer files counter-plaintThe officer has also filed a counter-complaint alleging that he too was assaulted by the airline staff and missed his flight. An FIR has been registered in both cases. The accused officer was reportedly allowed to leave Srinagar the very next day, prompting anger from the families of the injured staff.“We trusted the system and didn’t go to the media initially, but were shocked when we found out he had already left Srinagar,” said one relative.The Indian Army has acknowledged the incident, stating: “The Army is committed to upholding the highest standards of discipline and conduct and takes all allegations seriously. Full cooperation is being extended to authorities in investigating the case.”