‘Maaro Sir’ Viral Video Puts Nagpur MCom Graduate In Spotlight | Nagpur News

Nagpur: Until Monday morning, Bharat Banait was just another protester in the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement. A few hours later, the 27-year-old MCom graduate from Nagpur became one of the most recognisable faces of the students’ movement.A video showing Banait standing his ground and shouting ‘Maaro Sir’ as police personnel rained baton blows on him during the party’s Sansad March in New Delhi went viral on Monday.Talking to TOI, Banait said he was among the earliest supporters of the CJP in Nagpur and played a key role in building the movement in the city. “I was part of the team that organised CJP’s first protest in Nagpur. I was also among the trio that set out for New Delhi,” he said.Sitting in the police van with blood oozing from his head, Banait said he broke down when his mother called after she watched a video of him on social media. Banait said it was easier to cope with the pain than hearing his mother’s worried voice. “My mother said she saw the video and started crying,” he said. His father, a heart patient, was equally distressed.“The pain will always remind me of this struggle,” he said, adding that July 20 would remain “a black day” in his life. Banait said he has shifted to a safe location to avoid being detained. “I have moved to a safe place so that they don’t try to detain me,” he said.