‘Gundagardi’: J&K Political parties demand action against Army officer for attacking SpiceJet employees in Srinagar

SpiceJet employees assault

The political parties in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday condemned the assault on employees of a private airline by an Army officer at Srinagar International Airport last week, saying the officer must be held accountable.

"This is gundagardi!! This incident took place at Srinagar Airport, where an Army officer was seen brutally assaulting SpiceJet staff member(s), leaving him with serious injuries. It is highly condemnable & shameful. The officer must be held accountable," National Conference spokesperson Sarah Hayat Shah said in a post on X.

PDP leader Iltija Mufti also demanded action against the officer.

"How dare this Army officer launch a murderous assault on employees at Srinagar airport simply for refusing excess cabin luggage? His demonic rage left one of the victims with a spinal fracture. @ChinarcorpsIA <> @adgpi <> Please take immediate action to set an example," she said in a post on X.

SpiceJet on Sunday said that a senior Army officer, who was to board a flight to Delhi, assaulted four airline ground staffers at the Srinagar airport on July 26 and one of them suffered a spinal fracture.

An FIR has been registered with the local police and the airline has initiated the process to place the passenger on the no-fly list in accordance with civil aviation regulations, said SpiceJet, adding that the assault took place after the passenger was told to pay for the extra cabin baggage.

The incident took place on July 26 when the officer, who was carrying 16 kg of cabin luggage, as opposed to the normal 7 kg mandate, was asked to pay extra money for the extra luggage.

The officer refused to pay for it and barged into the aerospace forcefully, without completing the formalities. He was then escorted back by a CISF personnel, after which, he began attacking the SpiceJet employees aggressively.

"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 in a statement.

"At the gate, the passenger grew increasingly aggressive and physically assaulted four members of the SpiceJet ground staff," the airline added in its statement. The airline said that it also informed the Civil Aviation Ministry about the "murderous assault on its staff".

The airline further detailed the injuries that its employees suffered and said, "Our staff members suffered a spinal fracture and serious jaw injuries after being attacked with punches, repeated kicks and a queue stand. One SpiceJet employee collapsed unconscious on the floor but the passenger continued kicking and hitting the fainted employee."

"Another staff member suffered bleeding from the nose and mouth after receiving a forceful kick to the jaw while bending down to assist the colleague who had fainted. The injured employees were rushed to hospital and remain under treatment for the grievous injuries sustained," it added.

It further said that a police complaint has been filed against the officer and the airline is following the due process of putting him on its no-fly list.