Bengal engineer drags bleeding parents on road after slashing them, stabs 4 madrassa staff — ‘inspired by jihadi literature’

A 35-year-old engineer allegedly murdered his elderly parents in East Burdwan, West Bengal and later launched a machete attack on staff at a Bongaon orphanage, injuring four on Wednesday, The Times of India reported.

According to the police, the accused, Humayun Kabir, is a Jadavpur University civil engineering graduate who had earlier worked in Delhi and Noida. The violence began early on Wednesday morning in Memari’s Kazipara area, where Kabir allegedly slit the throats of his parents, Haji Mustafizur Rahman (65) and Mumtaz Begum (55), and dragged their bloodied bodies outside their home.

Locals alerted police after finding the bodies with deep gashes. Bloodstains led investigators to believe the couple had been attacked indoors before being hauled out, the TOI report said.

Kabir, who lost his job in Noida five months ago and was divorced last year, had been staying with his parents. Family and neighbours had raised concerns about his growing obsession with extremist ideologies. His sister, Tamanna Rahman, a schoolteacher in Howrah, said her parents had asked her just a day before the murders to help ‘bring Kabir back to his senses.’ She filed an FIR but initially refused to believe her brother could commit such a crime.

Hours after the murders, Kabir travelled nearly 130 km to Bongaon, where he entered the Hafizia Kharizia Orphanage Madrassa around 6.30 pm armed with an axe and machete. He attacked four individuals, including two elderly teachers, seriously injuring them. All victims were rushed to Bongaon Sub-Divisional Hospital.

Kabir was arrested from the madrassa premises. During interrogation, he gave police his Memari address, linking him to the morning’s double murder. However, his arrest sparked violent scenes outside the Bongaon police station, as a mob of 100-150 locals tried to storm the building and snatch him from custody. Police were forced to resort to a lathi charge and arrested 10 people for the vandalism.

Preliminary investigations suggest Kabir had been consuming jihadi literature online and was planning to flee to Bangladesh. Police say he spoke repeatedly about ‘going to jannat’ (paradise) and accused his parents of mistreating the poor, claiming this was un-Islamic. However, the police officials believe the real motive stemmed from tensions at home, as his parents often confronted him about his radical leanings.

Investigators also learned that Kabir had a troubled past. Described as stubborn, short-tempered, and obstinate by those who knew him, he allegedly became increasingly involved in radical ideologies in recent months. His personal life, after his divorce, also made him more dogmatic. His parents repeatedly warned him to stay away from such activities, leading to escalating tensions at home.

Bongaon SP Dinesh Kumar told TOI that Humayun had not initially confessed to the killings but later admitted to the Memari murders. He has been remanded in police custody for three days as investigators probe his possible extremist links.

The Bongaon police also posted messages on X deprecating attempts to give the incident a communal angle and warning against rumour-mongering.

A six-member police team from East Burdwan has reached Bongaon to further investigate Kabir’s connection to the orphanage and the motive behind the attack. Authorities are now trying to determine whether Kabir acted alone or was influenced by a larger network.