Don't Use Force, Talk with BPSC Examinees to Defuse Crisis: BJP MP

New Delhi: BJP MP and Bar Council of India president Manan Kumar Mishra on Thursday spoke against the use of force against the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) examinees and demanded cancellation of the exam in Patna.

Mishra, a Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar where the JD(U)-BJP alliance is in power, asked the state government to consider the "valid demands" of the examinees to defuse the situation.

In a statement, he said if needed, he will urge Union Home Minister Amit Shah to take an initiative to resolve the crisis though the issue falls under the jurisdiction of the state government headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

"Instead of beating the protesting students with batons, the state government should try to resolve their problems by holding talks with them," Mishra said.

Nearly five lakh candidates had appeared for Combined Competitive Exams held in Patna on December 13 when hundreds of examinees, all of them at the Bapu Pariksha Parisar, boycotted the tests alleging that question papers had been leaked.

This was met with a strong denial from the BPSC, which claimed the allegations were "a conspiracy" to force the exam's cancellation. Fresh tests were ordered for more than 10,000 candidates who had appeared at Bapu Pariksha Parisar.

Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor on Thursday began a fast unto death to press the demand for cancellation of the examination. 

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