A SpiceJet ground staffer, who suffered two spinal fractures after being assaulted by an Indian Army officer, said he was only doing his duty and never expected such violence in return.
"He hit me on my face with baggage. He slapped me and started hitting me. He used his fist and feet to hit me...At the end, he punched me and I fell," recalls SpiceJet's Mudasir Ahmad.
Mudasir Ahmad, who suffered a spinal fracture, shared his experience with ANI. "He had two bags, and I asked him to step aside for a check. As soon as I requested this, he began shouting. I informed him that his hand baggage weighed 16 kg, and he was only allowed to carry one bag weighing up to 7 kg. I explained that he would need to pay for the extra baggage. He continued to shout. I called my Duty Manager, who also tried to explain the situation to him. The passenger then pushed a CISF staff member and entered the boarding gate, which is prohibited. The CISF staff brought him back and explained that he needed to pay for the extra luggage. At the boarding gate, he started removing items from his bag and threw them at a staff member. He then hit me in the face with the remaining baggage, slapped me, and began hitting me. He used both his fists and feet against me. Then he slapped and punched me multiple times. I was bleeding."
The incident, which took place on July 26 during the boarding of SpiceJet flight SG-386 to Delhi, left several airline employees with grievous injuries, including a spinal fracture and a broken jaw.
The army officer was booked for assaulting four SpiceJet staff members at the Srinagar airport over an excess cabin baggage dispute. SpiceJet said it had filed an FIR with the local police, handed over CCTV footage, and initiated the process to add the passenger to its no-fly list.
In a statement, SpiceJet said the passenger, carrying 16 kg of cabin luggage, more than double the 7 kg limit, was informed about the additional charge but refused to pay. He then attempted to enter the aerobridge forcefully without completing boarding formalities, violating airport security protocols.
“He was escorted back to the gate by a CISF official. At the gate, the passenger grew increasingly aggressive and physically assaulted four members of the SpiceJet ground staff,” the airline said.
The airline described the assault as “murderous,” saying one employee fainted but was still kicked repeatedly. “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 the hospital and remain under treatment for the grievous injuries sustained,” the statement said.
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