Jammu/New Delhi, Aug. 31 -- Prominent Gujjar community leaders and activists have expressed anger over the decision of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) to strike out from record the administrative punitive action against a senior Army officer for the custodial deaths of three civilians in Poonch district in December 2023.

Strongly reacting to the tribunal's decision to remove Brigadier Padmasambhava Acharya's name from administrative files after his two-year period of "severe displeasure" censure, Gujjar community leader Shahnawaz Choudhary described the episode as a "complete betrayal of the community".

The dispute originated from an operation in response to an ambush near the Dera Ki Gali (DKG) area of Poonch District on December 21, 2...