JNU incident: Chargesheet has questions that have no answers
The incident of JNU student leaders Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya and seven others allegedly shouting anti-national slogans in the precincts of JNU campus in 2016 has again come to light with Delhi police drawing up the chargesheet against them on Monday.
Kanhaiya Kumar was the president of student union when the incident happened. Delhi police have stated they have visual, oral and documentary evidence to prove their charges. This means Delhi police is saying the visual evidence of Kanhaiya Kumar leading the sloganeering students is with the police as of now.
The chargesheet states after the permission to observe the anniversary of parliament attack mastermind Afzal Guru who was hanged eventually, was denied by the administration of the JNU, a text message was received by Umar Khalid and Kanhaiya Kumar to assemble at Sabarmati dhaba near the campus as per the charge sheet filed by Delhi police in the Patiala House Court a good three years after the incident.
But it is rather significant to note that the senior officers have said they do not possess direct documentary evidence to insinuate Kanhaiya Kumar shouting slogans, that can be termed as sedition . Though Zee news had aired the footage that showed someone shouting slogans, it was later said that this was not a genuine video. The channel now carries the reputation of having aired concocted footage to fix certain people.
Some parts of the video footages were obtained by those who were present at the venue. Officers have said some of the persons who were present when the incident occurred, had also testified to prove the charges against the accused. The court has noted the witnesses and their statements along with those of the police under relevant sections under CrPC.
Just as the Lok Sabha elections draw close, this filing of chargesheet against Kanhaiya Kumar and his friends has given rise to many doubts regarding the motive behind this act. How does a message from Khalid to Kanhaiya amount to sedition? Does the video footage possessed by the police show Kanhaiya Kumar shouting slogans against the country. Was he seen encouraging the students who were shouting anti national slogans? None of these questions can get clear answers from the Delhi police.
The chargesheet does not have clear details of calls made and received by Kanhaiya Kumar. The chargesheet does not explain where the phone was after and before the incident of shouting of anti national slogans or the subsequent clashes that broke out.
On the other hand, the police has not provided any incriminating evidence to prove Kanhaiya Kumar's role or crime in the whole incident. His name has not been recorded as the organiser of the event after the administration denied the permission to hold the event on the campus.
The police has decided to take action against Kanhaiya and his accomplices only after doctored videos by some channels were aired that showed him shouting slogans. But there has been no mention of doctored videos making rounds after the incident.
The case seems to be hanging on a lot of loose ends that may be difficult to be proven. Now despite knowing that this case may not hold water, if the police have still gone ahead and taken it to the court only to stop Kanhaiya and his friends from participating in the Lok Sabha elections, this must surely be a case of necessity of someone.
The name is pretty much know and is highly predictable by now. Narendra Modi has been rattled by the CBI and other investigating agencies.
Whatever be the case, this decision will turn to be favourable for Kanhaiya. With this, Modi has laid bare his fears and insecurities before the whole country.
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Iran Shocks World, Hits F-35
America's most advanced fighter jet, the F-35, was never hit in combat — not once, in its entire history. Countries spend over ₹900 crore to buy just one of these aircraft. The whole world believed this plane was untouchable. Then, on March 19, something happened over Iranian skies that shocked military experts across the globe.
Iran hit it. And nobody saw it coming.
America Was Too Confident — That Was the Problem
Before understanding how this happened, you need to understand what America believed going into this. The US had been bombing Iran since February 28. After roughly 20 days of heavy strikes, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that Iran's air defences were completely destroyed — finished, flattened, gone.
US President Donald Trump even said proudly, "We can fly wherever we want, and no one is even firing at us."
Based on this confidence, America flew its prized F-35 deep into the heart of central Iran. That alone tells you how sure they were. You don't send your most expensive jet into enemy territory unless you believe there is zero danger.
But Iran, a country under heavy international sanctions, still had something left. And it used that something extremely well.
So How Did Iran Actually Hit a Stealth Jet?
Here is where it gets interesting for regular people to understand.
We have all heard the word "stealth" — it sounds like the plane is completely invisible. But India Today explained that stealth only means it is hard to detect by radar. Hard — not impossible. It does not mean the aircraft is totally invisible.
Think of it this way. Even if you cannot see someone in a dark room, you can still feel their body heat if they stand close enough. That is almost exactly what happened here.
The F-35's engines produce enormous heat. Iran's weapon likely used an infrared sensor — basically a heat-seeking system — to detect that heat, lock onto it, and follow the jet. No radar needed. The F-35's biggest advantage, its radar-invisibility, simply did not matter.
The weapon Iran likely used was the 358 missile — also called SA-67 — which is a loitering munition. Think of it as a slow, intelligent drone that flies around patiently waiting, scanning the sky for heat signals from aircraft engines. Once it finds one, it chases it down. Iran has used this exact weapon before against American MQ-9 Reaper drones — and since this war started, America has already lost more than 12 of those drones.
This Has Happened Before — In 1999
This is not the first time America's "invisible" aircraft was brought down by a smarter enemy.
In 1999, during NATO's bombing campaign over Serbia, the US flew its F-117 Nighthawk — which was then considered the world's most advanced stealth aircraft. Serbian forces shot it down using an old Soviet missile system from the 1960s. Not with new technology — with clever thinking. They briefly switched on their radar, caught the jet at the right moment when its stealth was less effective, and fired.
The lesson both then and now is the same — no aircraft is completely invincible. Smart tactics can beat expensive technology.
Why This Changes Everything in the Iran War
Here is the bigger picture that really matters.
America and Israel had told the world that Iran's air defences were basically dead. Based on that, they sent massive B-1 and B-2 bombers — aircraft that are normally used only when a country is 100% sure it controls the enemy's sky. That is a huge military risk to take.
But if an F-35 — the most advanced aircraft in the sky — can still be hit, then Iran's defences are clearly not dead. Some pieces are still very much alive and working.
This means the US and Israel may now be forced to completely rethink their war plan. Their jets may need to fly higher, use longer-range weapons, and spend far more time and money finding where Iran's remaining defence systems are hiding underground.
Around 15 countries use the F-35 today. Even India was offered this jet by Trump during PM Modi's White House visit — though India has not shown interest so far.
Geopolitical expert Adam summed it up simply — a heavily sanctioned country just tracked, chased, and hit the world's most expensive stealth jet. That is not a small thing.
Sometimes, one moment changes everything.
(Girish Linganna is an award-winning science communicator and a Defence, Aerospace & Geopolitical Analyst. He is the Managing Director of ADD Engineering Components India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany.)
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or position of the publication, its editors, or its management. The publication is not responsible for the accuracy of any information, statements, or opinions presented in this piece.
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