The Real Story Behind Mission Raniganj The Great Bharat Rescue

June 30, 2025: Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue is a 2023 Hindi-language disaster thriller film directed by Tinu Suresh Desai, starring Akshay Kumar and Parineeti Chopra. The film is based on the true story of Jaswant Singh Gill, a mining engineer who led a daring rescue operation in 1989 to save 65 miners trapped in a flooded coal mine in Raniganj, West Bengal. ​

The 1989 Raniganj Coal Mine Disaster

On November 13, 1989, a sudden influx of water flooded the Mahabir Colliery in Raniganj, trapping 71 miners approximately 330 feet underground. While six miners perished, 65 found refuge in a higher section of the mine. Traditional rescue methods proved ineffective, and time was running out.

Jaswant Singh Gill’s Ingenious Rescue Plan

Jaswant Singh Gill, then an Additional Chief Mining Engineer, devised an innovative solution. He oversaw the drilling of a 21.5-inch-wide borehole and the fabrication of a steel capsule, known as the “capsule,” designed to lift the miners one by one to the surface. Demonstrating immense courage, Gill himself descended into the capsule to reassure the trapped miners and coordinate the rescue. Over six hours, all 65 miners were successfully brought to safety, with Gill emerging last.

Legacy and Recognition

Jaswant Singh Gill’s heroism earned him the Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak, India’s highest civilian gallantry award for life-saving acts. His remarkable feat is commemorated annually by Coal India Ltd as “Rescue Day” on November 16. Gill retired in 1998 and continued to contribute his expertise to mining safety until his passing in 2019.