Indian mining engineer
Jaswant Singh Gill
Born (1939-11-22 ) 22 November 1939Died 26 November 2019(2019-11-26) (aged 80) Other names Capsule Gill[ 1] Education Years active 1989-2019 Employers Known for 1989 Raniganj miners rescue operation Spouse Nirdosh Kaur Children 4 Awards Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak
Jaswant Singh Gill (22 November 1939 – 26 November 2019) was an Indian engineer-in-chief at Coal India known for his efforts in rescuing 65 coal miners trapped in a flooded mine in Raniganj, West Bengal , in 1989. This rescue operation is considered one of the most successful coal mine rescue operations in India and the world.
Early life and education
Gill was born on 22 November 1939 in Sathiala , Amritsar, Punjab, India.[ 2] Khalsa College, Amritsar in 1959, and graduated in Mining Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad, Jharkhand in 1965.[ 3]
Career
After completing his education, Gill started working for Chand Thapar & Bros (coal Sales) Limited in 1965 and later joined Coal India Limited in 1973.[ 4] [ 5]
1989 Raniganj rescue operation
On night of 13 November 1989 during a time blast at the Mahabir Colliery, Burdwan (Raniganj ) in West Bengal a sudden flood trapped 71 miners in an underground mine (below 350 ft ground level).[ 6] [ 7] [ 8]
Gill was serving as the additional chief mining engineer at Chitra Mines but voluntarily reached the Raniganj coal mine and led a daring rescue operation which started early morning on 16 November 1989 at 2:30 AM and continued for 6 hours, he successfully rescued 65 miners.[ 9] [ 10] [ 11]
I believe that in a time of calamity, one doesn’t have the time to be afraid. One has to act. - Gill said in an interview.[ 12]
His efforts were recognized with the prestigious 'Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak ' by then-President of India , Ramaswamy Venkataraman , in 1991.[ 13] [ 14] [ 15]
Post retirement
Gill retired from Coal India in 1998 at the age of 60. In 2008, he was appointed as a member in Disaster management committee at Amritsar, Punjab (India).[ 16] [better source needed
2018 Meghalaya rescue operation
Gill was invited during 2018 Meghalaya mining accident by Conrad Sangma , 12th Chief Minister of Meghalaya due to his expertise in mine mishaps for a rescue operation held in December 2018 at East Jaintia hills , Meghalaya , Assam (India).[ 17] [ 18] [ 19] Meghalaya state government to take help from Coal India.[ 20] [ 21]
Personal life
Gill was married to Nirdosh Kaur, and they had two sons and two daughters (Poonam Gill and Hina Gill).[ 22] [ 23] Johns Hopkins University who returned to Amritsar in 2008, and his younger son, Randip Singh Gill, is an entrepreneur and real estate professional in Vancouver, Canada .[ 24]
Death
Gill passed away on 26 November 2019 due to cardiac arrest at his home in Amritsar, Punjab.[ 25] [ 22]
Awards and Honours
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Legacy
A roundabout in Majitha Road in Amritsar was named after Gill in 2021, two years after his death.[ 34] [ 3] [ 35]
In popular culture
A film titled 'Mission Raniganj ' , directed by Tinu Suresh Desai was released in 2023.[ 36] [ 37] [ 38] Akshay Kumar played the lead role of Gill.[ 39] [ 40]
References
^ Mani, Sowmya (2 July 2022). " . The Better India . Retrieved 3 January 2025 . ^ "Netizens pay tribute to Er Jaswant Singh Gill who rescued 65 coal miners in West Bengal" . The Tribune . Retrieved 3 January 2025 .^ a b Rana, Yudhvir (14 June 2023). "Jaswant Singh Gill, heroic engineer who saved 65 lives, being honoured with memorial & film" . The Times of India ISSN 0971-8257 . Retrieved 3 January 2025 . ^ Suryavanshi, Aditi (6 October 2023). "Real Story of Jaswant Singh Gill, Who Inspired Akshay Kumar's 'Mission Raniganj' . The Quint . Retrieved 10 January 2025 . ^ "Jaswant Singh Gill: IIT Dhanbad engineer who saved 65 trapped coal miners" . India Today . Retrieved 3 January 2025 .^ "Jaswant Singh Gill, The Braveheart Engineer Who Risked Own Life To Save 65 Miners" . The Better India . 15 September 2016 [2019-11-28]. Retrieved 3 January 2025 .^ Goyal, Khushbu (9 June 2017). "ये हैं 'द हीरो ऑफ रानीगंज', 6 घंटे में अकेले बचाई थी 65 मजदूरों की जान" ["The Hero of Raniganj: He Single-Handedly Saved 65 Laborers in Just 6 Hours]. Amar Ujala . Retrieved 3 January 2025 . ^ Sanchaniya, Dhruv (7 October 2023). " ['Mission Raniganj' real hero Jaswant Singh Gill: Rescued 65 people from a 350-foot tunnel, son says, 'Papa's order was, the plan is mine. I will go down and save everyone.']. Divya Bhaskar the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2025 . ^ Saini, Neha (7 October 2023). "Hero of Amritsar" . The Tribune . Retrieved 10 January 2025 . ^ "BBC World Service - Witness History, India's capsule coal mine rescue" . BBC . Retrieved 3 January 2025 .^ Tiwari, Anuj (12 July 2022). "Jaswant Singh Gill: A Brave Engineer Who Saved 64 Trapped Coal Miners By Risking His Own Life" . Indiatimes . Retrieved 3 January 2025 . ^ Saini, Neha (8 July 2018). "Jaswant Gill, man of courage and records" . The Tribune . Retrieved 10 January 2025 . ^ "Mission Raniganj's real story: How Jaswant Singh Gill, the inspiration behind Akshay Kumar's character, saved lives of 65 miners" . The Indian Express . Retrieved 3 January 2025 .^ Vandana (5 October 2023). "अक्षय कुमार की मिशन रानीगंज फ़िल्म के असली हीरो जसवंत सिंह गिल कौन हैं?" [Who is Jaswant Singh Gill, the Real Hero of Akshay Kumar's Mission Raniganj Film?]. BBC News Hindi . Retrieved 10 January 2025 . ^ Sharma, Amit (6 September 2023). "कौन हैं रियल लाइफ हीरो जसवंत सिंह गिल? जिनकी कहानी बड़े पर्दे पर लेकर आ रहे अक्षय कुमार" [Who is the real-life hero Jaswant Singh Gill, whose story Akshay Kumar is bringing to the big screen?]. Aaj Tak . Retrieved 10 January 2025 . ^ National Disaster Management Authority Of India, 1998 Appointments
^ "Mining expert suggests Meghalaya govt to seek help of CIL for rescue operation" . ETEnergyworld.com Press Trust of India . 21 December 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2025 .^ Laitphlang, David (19 December 2018). "Centre to send help to Meghalaya to rescue trapped miners: CM Conrad Sangma" . Hindustan Times the original on 17 June 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2025 . ^ "Jaswant Gill joins Meghalaya rescue operation" . The Tribune . Retrieved 3 January 2025 .^ "Mining engineer, who rescued 64 from WB flooded quarry in 1989, to aid Meghalaya search ops" . The New Indian Express . Retrieved 10 January 2025 .^ "Meghalaya coal mine mishap: Mining expert visits site, suggests state government should take Coal India's help" . Firstpost Press Trust of India . 20 December 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2025 .^ a b "Jaswant Singh Gill, the Man who Saved 65 Miners in Bengal, Passes Away at 80" . India Today NE . Retrieved 3 January 2025 .^ Satija, Garima (7 October 2023). "Meet Jaswant Singh Gill's Family Who's Super Elated With Akshay Kumar's Film 'Mission Raniganj' . Indiatimes . Retrieved 11 January 2025 . ^ Singh, Simran. "Jaswant Singh Gill's family reacts to Akshay Kumar's portrayal of real hero in Mission Raniganj: 'Nobody could...' . DNA India . Retrieved 3 January 2025 . ^ "गर्व की बात: अमृतसर के जसवंत सिंह को मिलेगा कोहिनूर-ए-हिंद, रानीगंज खान से 65 लोगों को बचाकर पाई थी शोहरत" . Amar Ujala . Retrieved 3 January 2025 .^ Paul, GS (17 November 2024). "Recalling heroic efforts of 'Capsule Gill' to rescue trapped coal miners in Raniganj" . The Tribune . Retrieved 3 January 2025 . ^ "Who is Jaswant Singh Gill? Man whose daring act made it to World Book of Record, life inspired Akshay's Mission Raniganj" . DNA India . Retrieved 3 January 2025 .^ "Er. Jaswant Singh Gill" . worldbookofrecords.uk . Retrieved 3 January 2025 .^ "Er.Jaswant Singh Gill" . sikhsthesupreme.in . Retrieved 3 January 2025 .^ Bhadra, Piyali (5 October 2023). "Who Is Jaswant Singh Gill? Know The Man Behind Akshay Kumar's Survival-Drama Mission Raniganj" . English Jagran . Retrieved 3 January 2025 . ^ Paul, GS (24 September 2024). "Amritsar-based engineer honoured posthumously" . The Tribune . Retrieved 3 January 2025 . ^ "IIT से बीटेक, अब मिलेगा मरणोपरांत 'कोहनूर-ए-हिंद' खिताब, जानें कौन थे मिशन रानीगंज के रियल हीरो जसवंत गिल" [B.Tech from IIT, now awarded the 'Kohinoor-e-Hind' title posthumously: Discover the real hero of Mission Raniganj, Jaswant Gill]. TV9 Bharatvarsh . Retrieved 3 January 2025 .^ Kaur, Parminder, ed. (20 November 2024). "जसवंत सिंह गिल को मरणोपरांत मिलेगा कोहिनूर-ए-हिंद अवॉर्ड" [Jaswant Singh Gill will be posthumously awarded the 'Kohinoor-e-Hind' title]. Punjab Kesari . Retrieved 3 January 2025 . ^ "जसवंत सिंह गिल को सम्मान: इंजीनियर के नाम पर रखा गया मजीठा रोड स्थित चौक का नाम, 2 साल पहले हुआ था देहांत" [In honor of Jaswant Singh Gill, a chowk on Majitha Road has been named after the engineer, who passed away two years ago]. Dainik Bhaskar the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2025 .^ "Memorial dedicated to Capsule Gill to be opened on Majitha Road soon" . The Tribune . Retrieved 3 January 2025 .^ "कोण आहे जसवंत सिंग गिल? अक्षय कुमार प्रेरणा देणाऱ्या रीयल लाईफ हीरोची कहाणी" [Who is Jaswant Singh Gill: The story of a real-life hero who inspired Akshay Kumar?]. Lokmat . Retrieved 10 January 2025 .^ "Expresso Bollywood Feature on Jaswant Singh Gill: The Real-Life Hero Behind Akshay Kumar's Character in Mission Raniganj" . The Indian Express . Retrieved 10 January 2025 .^ "Akshay Kumar soon portray real-life hero Sardar Jaswant Singh Gill" . The Statesman . Retrieved 10 January 2025 .^ Kumar, Naveen (ed.). "Mission Raniganj: Akshay Kumar Remembers Jaswant Singh Gill On Engineers Day" . India.com . Retrieved 3 January 2025 . ^ "Akshay Kumar Pays Tribute To Real-Life Hero Jaswant Singh Gill On Engineer's Day" . ABP News . Retrieved 3 January 2025 .
External links
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