Who should be made to sit in the corner?
There is a practice of making irresponsible students sit in a corner if they violate the class rules or fail to complete their homework. The humiliation this student suffers in front of everyone is simply unfathomable. Sometimes judges follow this to the core. They make some witnesses plundering lies sit in the corner of the court till the workday ends. But these are really given to those small robbers, thieves etc. But in Modi’s India, this punishment has been given to the officer heading one of the most premier institutions of India, the CBI.
The court had ordered that CBI Joint Director Arun Kumar Sharma who was investigating the case of Bihar Shelter home sexual harassment case should not be transferred. But CBI former Chief Nageswara Rao had violated this. Hence the court not only penalized Rao to the tune of Rs one lakh, but also made him sit in the corner like a petty criminal. Having lost its entire credibility, the CBI was subjected to another humiliating phase with this. This is a big warning to officers in various posts who are trying to circumvent the constitution paying heed to those who are encouraging them to violate.
Who actually sat in the corner over that order? Was it Nageswara Rao or the CBI? Who put CBI in this spot? Is it Narendra Modi? In some ways, it was not Nageswara Rao who was penalized and punished. It was actually a rap on PM Modi. Rao may have been the face of it, but the humiliation was caused to Modi. The country had seen with trepidation the way Modi had made CBI dance to his tunes. Initially he used the IT officers and then began to operate through CBI officers who were used like BJP workers or slaves of the ruling party. But when CBI began to raise its hood against the limited interest of the PM, they set CBI to fight against its own officers. Worried that the then CBI chief Alok Verma would be investigating the Rafale deal, the government brought one of its blue eyed persons to head the institution, despite the opposition even with the CBI. Asthana was facing corruption charges when he was nominated for the post of CBI chief. How can he investigate corruption charges against anyone else? When Alok Verma filed a case against him, it was dubbed as ‘clashes within the CBI’ by the government. Under this pretext, PM Modi sent two officers on leave and brought Nageswara Rao into that chair. Rao also had corruption charges against him.
Eventually Supreme Court reappointed Alok Verma. The government had one chance to rectify its mistakes and uphold the office of CBI. But it took a very narrow bylane without any dignity to spare and transferred Verma again. Verma saved his personal integrity by resigning from the post. Why is the government that claims that the Rafale deal is a clean one, get so petrified of Verma? Looks like PM himself has declared that he is guilty by sending Verma home with the sword of Rafale hanging on his neck. CBI officers began to work like they had extra constitutional powers. They transferred everyone who didn’t heed to their demands and requirements across cases.
In some ways it seemed like they were acting on the instructions of PMO. Because the transfer of CBI joint director A K Sharma who was investigating the Bihar case, couldn’t have been Rao’s independent decision. Without political pressure this couldn’t have been done. Now Rao has to bear the cross for the mistakes made by politicians. He stood guilty before the court and the country saw Modi in his place while he was at it. But then since people are walking without an ounce of shame, to expect that a punishment would bring some change is a tough proposition.
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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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