I'm senior-most, will come out last: Gabbar Singh's bravery shines through Uttarakhand tunnel rescue ops

Among the 41 workers who were safely extracted out from the collapsed Uttarakhand tunnel after 17 days of rescue operation on Tuesday (Nov 29), the last one to emerge from the dark hole was Gabbar Singh Negi.

Negi, who had emerged as a strong leader and helped the other 40 workers to stay calm, said that since he is the senior-most, he will be the last one to step out. 

Negi was born 260 km away in Pauri Garhwal district and unfortunately was trapped in the the collapsed tunnel. 

In the 400 hours spent by the workers nearly 200 feet inside the ground, Negi taught yoga and meditation to his colleagues to help them stay mentally and physically active, and ensured that they were rescued safely by committing that he would be the last to come out. 

"I am senior-most... I will be the last to come out...', this is what he told me," said his relieved and happy brother Jaymal Singh Negi, while speaking to NDTV, hours after 41 men were taken out from the tunnel and provided extensive medical check-ups for ensuring that they have no injuries or illness. 

It is now being said that Gabbar Negi's efforts have helped all 41 survive the disaster with few injuries and keep the catastrophic situation under control.

Also read: Rescued Uttarakhand tunnel worker describes 17-day ordeal in first reaction

"I am very happy... the family is very happy. Not just the family but the whole country... the whole country prayed for them. When they came out and we saw they were safe, we distributed sweets and garlands," said Jaymal Negi, who kept waiting for his brother at the site of the tunnel collapse for nearly two weeks, while speaking to NDTV.

"I kept talking to him daily. First through the pipes they put into the ground but then with phones that they gave us. I advised my brother to do yoga. He said, 'Yes, we are all doing it'," he said. Speaking about his brother's bravery, he said, "He is very brave. When I asked him if there will be a stampede when the rescue starts, he told me, 'I am senior, I will be the last'."

Many rescue workers also praised efforts made by Negi to keep them safe and happy, which included playing fun games like chess and ludo. Speaking to news agency PTI, One of the psychiatrists at the site Dr Rohit Gondwal said that the workers also played 'chor police' (thief-police).

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also commended the bravery of Negi, while speaking to the rescued workers via telephone, and said, "It is a matter of happiness for me... I cannot express it in words. If something bad had happened... (I) can't say how we would have taken that."

One of the workers, Akhilesh Singh while speaking about the ordeal to NDTV, said, "The tunnel collapsed in front of me and there was a loud sound after which my ears went numb."

"We had no contact from the outside world for 18 hours. As per our training, we opened a water pipe soon after we were trapped. When the water started falling, the people outside understood that there were people stuck and started sending us oxygen through that pipe," he said. 

Singh said that they were being supplied food throughout the day, so much that it would have lasted for 25 more days. He said that he now plans to go back home and rest for nearly 1-2 months.

"I plan to go home after the health checkups are done. I will then take a break for 1-2 months before deciding what to do next," he said. On Tuesday night, all 41 workers were pulled out from the Silkyara tunnel after 17 days by the "rat hole" miners. 

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami handed over cheques of Rs 100,000 ($1220 approx.) to each rescued worker and announced a Rs 50,000 ($600 approx.)  reward for each rat-hole miner and others who took part in the rescue operation.