Mission Raniganj: Meet mining engineer Jaswant Singh Gill who inspired Akshay Kumar’s film

Akshay Kumar revealed the motion poster of his upcoming film Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue. It is based on the life of mining engineer Jaswant Singh Gill. Ahead of its release, we take a deep dive into the life of the man who rescued 65 miners from a flooded quarry in West Bengal in 1989.

2 things you need to know 

• Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue stars Parineeti Chopra opposite Akshay Kumar. 
• The film is directed by Rustom fame Tinu Suresh Desai. 

Who was Jaswant Singh Gill?

Jaswant Singh Gill was born on November 22, 1937, in Sathiala, Amritsar. He finished his studies and received his diploma from Khalsa College in 1959. He became a national hero for his extraordinary deed as he rescued 65 men from the submerged coal mine.

A catastrophe struck the Mahabir Colliery in Raniganj, West Bengal, on the dreadful day of November 13, 1989. Miners were toiling tirelessly and set off explosions to extract coal. Under tremendous strain, the subsurface water table, which was dangerously close to where they were working, cracked, letting off a torrent of water. 

(Jaswant Singh Gill was a mining engineer in West Bengal | Image: X)

As cave-ins started, chaos broke out, and the lives of 220 miners were in danger. Six brave souls perished soon and 65 more, who were still trapped, waited for their fate to unfold.

In the middle of the frantic race against time, with traditional rescue efforts failing, engineer Jaswant Singh Gill emerged as a light of hope. Drilling a well and placing a specially made steel rescue capsule on the scene were Gill's recommendations. After all 65 of the trapped miners were freed with the use of a crane, Gill eventually emerged from the pit's bottom.

Jaswant Singh Gill rewarded for his brave act 

The engineer was awarded Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak for his brave act by President Ramaswamy Venkataraman in 1991. A chowk was also named after him in Majitha Road, Amritsar. Gill died on November 26, 2019, leaving behind his wife and four children.