The airline ground staff claimed his stick exceeded the permissible limit by three inches and collected Rs 1,500 from the Olympian. Sources with the Bengaluru Airport said the incident with the hockey star who was the former Indian team captain unfolded around 7 pm before he was scheduled to board IndiGo airlines flight 6E 382 from Bengaluru to Kochi. The airline’s ground staff at KIA forced him into paying extra for the hockey stick he was carrying as part of his kit after allegedly stating that he was permitted to carry a stick stretching only upto 38 inches and the piece he was holding was three inches longer. However, 34-year-old Sreejesh paid the sum but recorded his disappointment on twitter by posting “FIH (Fédération Internationale de Hockey) allow me to play with a 41inch hockey stick, but @IndiGo6E never allow me to carry anything over 38inch.What to do? Pay extra Rs,1500 for handling the goalkeeper baggage.”