In a meeting with Purulia Superintendent of Police Ashok Prasad, BSF officers said the police should have briefed them on the modus operandi of the Maoist groups active in the area.

According to BSF officers, a company of 100 personnel was divided into five groups and each one was deployed in different areas.

When asked to comment further on the meeting, Prasad said: “I should not disclose anything about the meeting.”

Following the attack, the police have decided to beef up the security in the block offices from the next Monday when the counting of votes begins.

The police have identified a few blocks such as Bandwan, Barabazar, Balarampur, Bagmundi, Arsha and Jhalda, as Maoist-dominated areas bordering Jharkhand.

On May 8, the Maoists had called a bandh, urging voters to boycott the panchayat polls. The police fear that the rebels might carry out an attack after the counting of votes in these areas.