Akshay Kumar’s Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue has been impressing audiences across India since its release on October 6, 2023. The film brings to life the story of mining engineer Jaswant Singh Gill, also known as Capsule Gill, who played a pivotal role in rescuing 65 miners trapped in a flooded coal mine in Raniganj, West Bengal, in 1989.
Directed by Tinu Suresh Desai and written by Vipul K Rawal, the film stars Akshay Kumar as Capsule Gill. The cast also includes the likes of Parineeti Chopra, Kumud Mishra, Pavan Malhotra, and Ravi Kishan.
Who was Capsule Gill?
Jaswant Singh Gill was born in the year 1940 in Amritsar, Punjab. After completing his BSc Honours at the renowned Indian School of Mines in Dhanbad, he joined Coal India Limited in 1973, from where he retired in 1998 as Engineer-in-Chief. Gill’s rescue mission at Mahabir Colliery in Raniganj, West Bengal, in 1989 remains one of the high points of his career. 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.
On November 13, 1989, 232 miners toiled 320 feet below ground at Mahabir Colliery while extracting coal through controlled explosions. Disaster struck at 4 a.m. when water suddenly flooded the mine. While the lifts swiftly rescued 161 miners, 71 remained trapped due to rising water levels.
Gill led a rescue team and devised an audacious plan. He made a steel capsule lowered into a narrow borehole to save the miners. The capsule was constructed within 72 hours. The rescue began on November 16 at 2:30 a.m., with Gill being the first to enter the capsule. By 8:30 a.m., he had brought all 65 miners to safety, reducing the roundtrip time to just 3 minutes with a 12-tonne crane.
Coal India Ltd. declared November 16 as Rescue Day to honor Capsule Gill’s act of bravery. He received the Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak from President Ramaswamy Venkataraman in 1991. Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue now immortalizes Jaswant Singh Gill’s indomitable spirit, paying tribute to a genuine hero etched in India’s history and inspiring generations.
