You all might be curious to know who is Jaswant Singh Gill, the man played by Akshay Kumar in his upcoming film “Mission Raniganj“
Late. Jaswant Singh Gill is one of India’s unsung heroes who needs to be remembered. Gill supervised a rescue effort that rescued the lives of 64 persons trapped in a coal mine in West Bengal’s Raniganj on November 13, 1989, as the Additional Chief Mining Engineer of Coal India Limited (CIL).
Akshay Kumar’s next film, Mission Raniganj, will be released on October 6, 2023, based on his life. The film is based on the life of late Coal India Limited (CIL) Engineer Jaswant Singh Gill, who is known for saving the lives of 64 miners during a dangerous rescue mission.
Also read, What Is the Real Story Behind ‘Mission Raniganj’
What happened
- 220 coal miners attempted to set off an explosion in the Mahabir Colliery in order to extract coal.
- The blast, however, proved to be dangerous because the strain was too much for the subsurface water table, which fractured.
- This resulted in a huge flood of water.
- The miners fled for their lives as the water gushed into the mine.
- Six workers were killed instantaneously, and 149 colleagues who were near the lift shaft were dragged out.
- To escape the incoming tide, 64 workers hid in gaps.
- One worker even swam in the dark for 36 hours to reach the shaft.
The Unsung Hero and his plan
The information instantly spread, and the rescue mission was launched.
Jaswant Gill was Coal India Limited’s Additional Chief Mining Engineer. Though it was a collaborative effort, Jawant Gill’s work deserves special recognition.
Gill offered to go into the mine and open the nearest capsule, then assist the nearest miner in entering the capsule, and then signal the people above to pull the capsule out.
Gill put his own life in danger since going into the mine alone was never an ideal plan.
Interview and his golden words
In an interview with SBS Punjabi in 2018, Gill recalled the happenings of that day-
“There were 220 miners working at the site, 6 of them lost their lives and those close to the shaft were quickly pulled out while 64 still remain trapped,” Gill said.
- Gill was lowered into the mine and he stayed there for six hours, only after every single miner had come out of the mine.
- On his special effort to rescue the trapped miners, Gill had said, “You get only one life, you need to make it count. Everything happened so suddenly that no one had the time to think.”
Awards and recognition
Jaswant Gill received the Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak in 1991 and the Bhagat Singh Puran award for humanitarian efforts in 2016. Gill’s operation was also mentioned in the Limca Book of Records as a national record in coal mining history.
Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines Prahlad Joshi paid tribute to Jaswant Gill last year, recalling his valiant efforts.
Akshay Kumar paid respect to the former CIL engineer as well. Mission Raniganj will be released on October 6, 2023.
