Expresso Bollywood Feature on Jaswant Singh Gill: The Real-Life Hero Behind Akshay Kumar’s Character in Mission Raniganj

After Mission Mangal and Kesari, actor Akshay Kumar's new film is Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue. He reprised the role of mining expert, Jaswant Singh Gill in the film, written by Vipul K Rawal and directed by Tinu Suresh Desai. The film is based on the real story of Gill rescuing 65 miners from a flooded mine in Raniganj, West Bengal. The trailer of the film immediately depicted a large group of miners racing for safety upon realising that water was rapidly filling the mine, cutting off all exits. Unfortunately, they became stranded before they could escape. It is at this critical moment that Jaswant, played by Akshay Kumar, arrives on the scene, determined to save the trapped workers.

Deepshika Deshmukh, one of the producers, noted: “This film has seen lots of brainstorming sessions with tech teams, hard work, and meticulous planning, and I couldn’t be happier with the way it has turned out. It’s an inspiring story that needs to be seen, felt, and celebrated on the big screen."

What makes the incident important? Why did people celebrate Gill after the rescue mission, and why did he win ‘Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak’ from the then President of India, Ramaswamy Venkataraman? The indianexpress.com explains.

Who was Jaswant Singh Gill?
Born in Amritsar in 1940, Jaswant Singh Gill studied at Khalsa School and later took admission in BSc (non-medical) at Khalsa College (Amritsar). He studied BSc (Honours) from the Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, before joining Coal India Limited in 1973. Throughout his tenure, he kept growing in ranks from 1-9 and ultimately retired in 1998 as Engineer-in-chief. The most significant event of his over two-decade career was the rescue mission at the Mahabir Colliery, Raniganj, West Bengal. He saved the lives of 65 miners who were trapped in a flooded coal mine. He also got the moniker of Capsule Gill after the incident.

What happened at the Mahabir Colliery in West Bengal in November 1989?
On November 13, 1989, 232 miners were employed in the night shift to work towards the rise-most area of the 320-foot-deep mine to excavate coal through explosions. At around 4 a.m., there was a sudden influx of water, and the mine got flooded. The 161 miners who were near the two lifts in the pit could be rescued immediately, but 71 of them were far off and couldn’t reach the lift due to the water. Fortunately, there was a telephone connection between the borehole and the surface, through which a message was sent that 65 miners had taken shelter at a rising part of the pit, but six of them had gone missing.

On learning about the trapped miners, the authorities formed four teams to rescue them. Three out of the four teams started trying various methods to bring out the miners. Several submersible pumps were inserted in the mine to reduce the water level, but the water kept recirculating inside the mine and the pumped-out water was finding its way back through cracks in the surface. Meanwhile, the oxygen level in the mine was depleting too, and the mine could collapse at any time.

Senior engineer Jasawant Gill, who was a part of the fourth team, came up with an idea that nobody could have imagined. “My father started to innovate on a theoretical idea that had never been put to practical use. It involved fabricating a steel capsule about 7 feet high and 22 inches in diameter, creating a new borehole to lower the capsule into the mine, and taking out the miners, one by one,” Sarpreet Singh Gill, son of Jaswant Gill, shared with The Tribune.

The steel capsule was constructed in 72 hours and after a few trial runs up and down the borehole, rescue of men began on November 16 at 2.30 am. Gill insisted on going into the capsule himself to bring out the trapped men. After initial opposition from the top officials of Coal India Limited, Gill entered the capsule and brought out all of the 65 men one by one by 8:30 a.m. Initially, it took 15 minutes for one round trip of the capsule. So, a 12-tonne crane was put into service for lowering and raising the capsule and this reduced the cycle time to just 3 minutes.

20,000 people gathered to witness the rescue operation in Raniganj. “It took me six hours to bring up the 65 miners one by one and last of all, when I emerged from the capsule, people went mad with joy,” Gill once shared with The Tribune. He added that the moment he came out, people lifted him on his shoulders and put garlands around his neck.

How was Jaswant Singh Gill rewarded for his act of bravery?
To celebrate Gill’s act of bravery, Coal India Ltd announced November 16 as ‘Rescue Day’. Limca Book of Records has certified this operation as a national record in the history of coal mining.

Gill was also honoured with the highest civilian bravery award, ‘Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak’ by President Ramaswamy Venkataraman in 1991.

Until he died in 2019, Gill remained active in his social welfare work.