The Centre sent a fresh missive to the West Bengal government on Thursday, asking it to immediately relieve three IPS officers who have been sought for central deputation, saying all of them were already given new assignments, officials said. In a communication to the West Bengal chief secretary, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said according to the IPS cadre rules, the Centre prevails over a state government in case of any dispute.

The three officers - Bholanath Pandey (SP, Diamond Harbour), Praveen Tripathi (DIG, Presidency Range) and Rajeev Mishra (ADG, South Bengal) - were responsible for the security of BJP chief J P Nadda during his December 9-10 visit to the politically volatile state.