New Delhi, Nov. 11: The Union home ministry has told Bengal police “to pull up their socks”, days after some of them scooted during a Maoist strike in which four jawans were killed, sources in Delhi said.

Hours before the Sunday evening attack in Jamboni, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had vowed to drive the guerrillas out of Bengal in district headquarters Midnapore, 70km away.

“We have told them... they need to pull up their socks,” said a senior home ministry official. “We are surprised that instead of being inspired to avenge the killings of their colleagues, they just quit.”

The sources said Union home secretary G.K. Pillai had spoken to his state counterpart, Ardhendu Sen, about it.

Two jawans accompanying the ones shot at Jamboni fled after seeing their colleagues fall. An EFR camp a stone’s throw away also did not react.

“Earlier, the police were unwilling to act because the state wanted to solve the prob- lem politically, now they are scared,” said an official.