Armed Forces Tribunal upholds censure of Brigadier over civilian deaths

The Chandigarh bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) has upheld the Indian Army’s decision to award “severe displeasure” to Brigadier P Acharya regarding the 2023 deaths of three civilians in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district.

The incident occurred following a December 2023 terrorist ambush on an Army column that killed four soldiers. In the aftermath, troops from the 48 Rashtriya Rifles picked up several men from Topa Pir for questioning. Three of these individuals were later found dead with injuries indicating custodial torture.

A Court of Inquiry found that Acharya, then the commanding officer of Sector 13 Rashtriya Rifles, failed to exercise proper command and control, failed to prevent unlawful force, and had directed a company commander to use “slightly harsh” methods to extract information. The tribunal, comprising Justice Sudhir Mittal and Lt Gen Rambir Singh, ruled that while the loss of soldiers could trigger intense emotions, such feelings cannot override military discipline or the legal obligation to treat civilians humanely.