Midnapore/Calcutta, March 16: About half-a-dozen police officers deputed in West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura to prevent Maoist attacks before and during the Assembly elections failed to turn up at Belpahari police station today because their superiors were not ready to relieve them.

The officers ? all of deputy superintendent rank ? are part of a 60-member special operations group set up on Tuesday by director-general of police S.C. Avasthy to keep the Maoists at bay in the three districts in the run-up to the polls.

“They are efficient officers. But we can’t release them as the election is knocking on the door,” said a district superintendent of police who did not want to be named. “We have written to the DG and requested him to reconsider the issue.”

Inspector-general of police (western range) Banibrata Basu refused to comment.

Other officers of inspector and sub-inspector ranks, along with some DSPs, reached Belpahari this evening. “Accompanied by State Armed Police and Eastern Frontier Rifles personnel, they will comb the forests where Maoists are active,” said a police officer.

In Jhargram, a security blanket was thrown around the town today on the eve of a verdict by the chief judicial magistrate’s court on four Maoist leaders. CPI (Maoist) politburo member Sushil Roy, state secretary Patit Paban Halder, and two others ? Sheikh Zakir Hussain and Santosh Debnath were arrested nine months ago.

Bangla no-entry

Movement of goods vehicles across the Bangladesh border came to a halt at Petrapole in North 24-Parganas today after the Border Security Force refused to let them pass.

The BSF had written to immigration authorities to post officials at the zero point as part of measures to step up security. “We had given them till March 15 to arrange this but they failed. So, we closed the border at Petrapole,” said a senior BSF officer.