Indian army officer’s assault at Srinagar Airport exposes Kashmiris’ ordeal
‘Kashmiris treated as third-class citizens’: Family speaks out after assault
Srinagar: A shocking incident at Srinagar Airport has once again cast a harsh spotlight on the mistreatment and vulnerability of Kashmiris—this time, in one of the most heavily guarded and militarized places in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Kashmir Media Service, on July 26, Mudasir Ashraf Khan, a young SpiceJet ground staff member from Srinagar’s Bemina area, was brutally assaulted by a serving Indian Army officer after a dispute over excess baggage charges. The officer, identified as Lieutenant Colonel Ritesh Kumar Singh, refused to pay for 9 kg of extra cabin baggage and, in a fit of rage, unleashed violence at the boarding gate, severely injuring several airline employees.
CCTV footage and bystander videos circulating on social media show Singh attacking the unarmed airline employees with a metal queue stand, punches, and kicks. Mudasir, who bore the brunt of the assault, suffered spinal injuries and internal bleeding. He is now bedridden, unable to walk, and has been advised complete bed rest for at least two months, in addition to medications.
“It was very horrible, brutal and terrifying,” said Mudasir from his bed at his home. “I was screaming for help but whenever the staff members tried to save me from him, he would begin assaulting anyone who came in his way or tried to stop him. I was beaten so much that I lost consciousness, I coughed out blood,” he said in a media interview.
Mudasir’s family believes this incident did not happen in isolation, it reflects a deeper, systemic problem facing Kashmiris, both within IIOJK and across India. His parents are still not able to process how an incident like this could happen at one of the most guarded places in Kashmir.
“This airport is an international defence airport and has many forces personnel and security cameras. My son and his colleagues manhandled in broad daylight. This is highly condemnable,” said Mudasir’s mother.
Shibli Khan, Mudasir’s brother, feels that the incident is a signifier of what Kashmiris are being identified as. “Kashmiris are treated as third-class citizens and many times these assaults and brutal attacks happen but the perpetrator is never held accountable. This incident is a peek at the same?” he asked.
Recently and even in the years that followed 2019, Kashmiris studying, working or simply existing in mainland India have been the targets of rising hate-speech and hate-crimes owing to their identity. Following the Pahalgam attack on April 22, many Kashmiri students in Indian states were forced to leave their rented apartments or university hostels; several of them were physically attacked by Hindus affiliated with Hindu extremist groups.
SpiceJet has confirmed the assault, expressed concern for its employees, and lodged a formal FIR. However, no legal action against the assailant has been made public so far.
As Mudasir lies in pain, unable to stand, his story has become yet another grim chapter in the unfolding saga of Kashmiri suffering. The pressing question remains: when will the cycle of violence, discrimination, and second-class treatment of Kashmiris end?
