# Army veterans slam IPS officer Ankita Sharma over AK-47 firing 2026-10-21T09:36:10+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 5 independent outlets A video of Chhattisgarh IPS officer Ankita Sharma firing an AK-47 during Dussehra shastra puja has gone viral, drawing sharp criticism from retired Army officers who questioned her safety protocols. The Rajnandgaon Superintendent of Police, dressed in a saree, fired the assault rifle at the Police Lines on 20 October. India Today and Times Now report that Lieutenant General KJS Dhillon (Retired) and Lieutenant Colonel Sushil Singh Sheoran (Retired) listed multiple violations, including unsafe weapon handling and firing into the air. News9 and NewsX present the video as a viral moment alongside Sharma's biography, noting she is a 2018-batch officer who cleared UPSC on her third attempt with All India Rank 203. The Times of India reports the video drew mixed reactions, with some users praising her confidence and others raising concerns about firearm safety. India Today and Times Now focus on the veterans' criticism, with Dhillon calling the act a 'black demo of authority without responsibility'. ## Indian Opinion Analysis News9 and NewsX treat the AK-47 video as a straightforward viral profile, foregrounding Sharma's career trajectory and the tradition of shastra puja. India Today and Times Now lead instead with Army veterans' detailed criticism of safety violations, framing the incident as a lapse in accountability. The Times of India sits between these two poles, noting both praise and concern without endorsing either. The difference is one of editorial emphasis: the first two outlets report the event, the latter two question it. The key point the sources name is the veterans' call for disciplinary action against such acts. ## Coverage Coverage: 5 sources, 2 government-critical, 3 neutral - news9live.com (neutral report) Presents viral video as biography piece, no critical framing - newsx.com (neutral report) Straight report on viral moment and officer's career - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Reports mixed reactions without taking a side - indiatoday.in (government critical) Leads with Army veterans blasting officer over safety lapses - timesnownews.com (government critical) Questions safety and propriety, cites veterans' criticism prominently This brief was synthesised by AI from the 5 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Update, 21 October 2026: this story now draws on 5 sources. Last updated 2026-10-21T15:08:09+00:00. Tags: Ankita Sharma, Chhattisgarh police, Dussehra, Rajnandgaon, UPSC Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/chhattisgarh-ips-officer-fires-ak-47-at-dussehra-puja-video-goes-viral/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/chhattisgarh-ips-officer-fires-ak-47-at-dussehra-puja-video-goes-viral/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/