Two central force personnel were caught napping at a booth in Jamalpur under Burdwan-East Lok Sabha constituency on Monday when the presiding officer went in search of them after a section of voters refused to cast their votes without the presence of paramilitary jawans.

Nirmal Nandi, the presiding officer at booth 80 at Amra Primary School, said some voters were unwilling to cast their votes if the central troopers were not present.

“I told the voters that two central force jawans had been posted at the booth since morning but they didn’t believe me. I went outside but couldn’t find the jawans anywhere in the vicinity,” said Nandi.

Later, Nandi found the troopers fast asleep in a classroom. Nandi shook them out of their slumber and asked them to resume their duty. “I asked them how they could sleep while on duty at the polling booth,” said the presiding officer.

Sources said the two jawans later told Nandi that they had felt tired and sleepy in the scorching heat after taking lunch and gone to take a nap as the polling was “peaceful”.

A district electoral official said he would seek a report from the presiding officer.