In the wake of the July 26 incident at Srinagar Airport involving a senior Indian Army officer and SpiceJet staff, Army veterans have come together to slam the airline on social media. The calls for ‘Boycott SpiceJet’ are growing over what the retired officers are calling alleged ‘misbehaviour’ and ‘manhandling’ of soldiers.

What are Army veterans saying?

In one such post on X, Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia (Retd.) has urged the people to boycott the airline. Bhatia urged people and soldiers to boycott SpiceJet, as their staff insults soldiers and lodges false complaints against them.

Army officer Lt Col Ritesh Kumar Singh, posted at HAWS Gulmarg, filed a counter FIR against SpiceJet.

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SpiceJet claimed that Lt Col Ritesh Kumar Singh made a ‘murderous attempt’ on the lives of the four staff members. SpiceJet staff Mudasir suffered spinal injury.

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What is the SpiceJet case?

On July 26, 2025, a disturbing altercation unfolded at Srinagar Airport involving a senior Indian Army officer and SpiceJet staff at the boarding gate of flight SG-386 to Delhi. According to SpiceJet’s account, the officer assaulted four airline employees following a dispute over excess cabin baggage. The airline alleges that the officer was carrying 16 kg, more than twice the permitted 7 kg, and refused to pay for the excess. When stopped from boarding, he reportedly turned violent, resulting in grievous injuries to the staff, including a spinal fracture and serious facial injuries.

Meanwhile, SpiceJet said it has filed a police complaint and initiated the process to place the Army officer on the no-fly list. ‘SpiceJet will pursue this matter to its fullest legal and regulatory conclusion to put the passenger on no-fly list,’ a company spokesperson said to FinancialExpress.com.