On Tuesday, as the Indian government confirmed a “non-military pre-emptive strike” on Jaish-e-Mohammad training camps in Balakot in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, news channels went into overdrive to report the attack.

TV9 Telugu, in particular, decided that its anchor needed a costume and a prop to go with his report from the news studio. The anchor dressed up in combat uniform and held on to a toy gun while talking about how air defence systems were on high alert at border areas in Gujarat and Punjab.

This is not the first time that the news channel has used over the top tactics to grab eyeballs. After the death of actress Sridevi last year, TV9 Telugu carried a “special report” that called “experts” into a bathroom to answer the question: “Is is possible to drown in a bathtub?”