In today's show, we will talk about the relationship between Zee News and our audience. Today's generation will not even remember how old their family's relationship with Zee News is. Zee News is India's first private news channel. In March 1995, we gave India the first private news bulletin, which was broadcast every night at ten o'clock on Zee TV. Gradually, your relationship with us deepened and the half-an-hour news bulletin turned into a 24-hour news channel.
Zee News first introduced you to TV News. When Zee News started a half-hour news bulletin in March 1995, its language was such that it could be understood easily. It was our attempt that whether the audience understands Hindi or those who know English, the news should be understood by everyone.
There are many things that go extinct with time, many relationships that break up, many products that fade away with the passage of time. But Zee News kept changing itself constantly. In the era of change, we not only changed ourselves but also told that journalism is that which is dedicated to the country. During this time we kept giving you news through our new colors, new forms, new technology and new formats, which are still going on today.
This 26-year-old relationship between you and Zee News led to many hurdles. And the year 1995 became its foundation. Then on the night of 2 and 3 July, Congress leader Sushil Sharma in Delhi murdered Naina Sahni and burnt her body in an oven. Through Zee News, the nation saw this news on television and voice was raised to give justice to Sahni. Her case went from the lower court to the Supreme Court and Sushil Sharma was sentenced to death by the sessions court and the High Court which was later commuted to life imprisonment by the Supreme Court. However, in 2018, the Delhi High Court ordered the release of Sushil Sharma as he had spent 23 years in jail.
Now, we want to remind you of that era when there was no independent journalism in the country. It was the era of 'godi media'. At that time, big people used to come on the platform of Zee News and they were openly asked questions on Zee News whether it be the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh or Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Former Prime Minister Chandrashekhar used to do a show on Zee News under the name Disha Samvad. So whether it was ideology or Breaking News, Zee News showed all of that, without any pressure.
Today, whenever you see the picture of terrorist Masood Azhar hiding in Pakistan, you remember the Kandahar hijack. On 24 December 1999, the Indian Airlines Flight from Kathmandu to Delhi, IC-814 was hijacked by the terrorists. Zee News then reported this hijack. This was the first time that Zee News showed it round the clock and people saw live coverage of an event on television for the first time.
There was a Kargil war between India and Pakistan in May 1999. The people of India saw the war on television for the first time and Zee News was also present in that battlefield. This fight lasted for about three months and the country watched this war through Zee News.
Mamata Banerjee is at the center of the news these days because of the West Bengal assembly elections. But we want to tell you that Mamata Banerjee was given a platform by Zee News in the year 2000 and since then she strengthened her roots in Indian politics. And for the last 10 years, she is the Chief Minister of West Bengal.
Like Mamata Banerjee, Zee News was the biggest platform for the emerging leaders of the time. The stories of this 26-year journey of Zee News will continue.
