Karimpur, May 22: A woman allegedly murdered her two minor sons by thrashing their heads with a rock hammer typically used for grinding cooking spices, in Anandapalli of Karimpur, Nadia, on Wednesday night. During initial questioning, the woman, claimed to be mentally unstable, reportedly told police that she was angered by the children’s repeated refusal to take regular baths, which prompted her to “teach them a lesson”.
Police have arrested the accused, identified as Moushumi (Rinki) Majumdar, 38, and registered a murder case against her based on a complaint lodged by her husband. However, investigators said they are yet to ascertain the exact motive behind the killings, even though Rinki claimed during interrogation that she was attempting to “discipline” her sons for avoiding baths.
Local sources and police officials revealed that Moushumi has long been suffering from mental health issues and was under treatment, though she reportedly did not take her medication regularly.
The horrific act came to light on Wednesday night when the children’s father, Surya Majumdar, a professional driver, returned home from work to find his sons lying in a pool of blood, with a blood-stained rock hammer placed on the bed. Moushumi was not present in the house at the time.
A distraught Surya cried out for help, and neighbours rushed in to assist him in taking the children to Karimpur Rural Hospital. Due to the severity of their injuries, they were referred to Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital. Arghyadeb died on the way, while Budhdhadeb passed away around 4 p.m. on Thursday.
On Thursday morning, Moushumi returned home, where she was immediately confronted and detained by neighbours before being handed over to the police. “When questioned by the locals, she responded incoherently and claimed the children refused to bathe. She also admitted she was punishing them. She repeated the same during preliminary questioning,” said a police officer.
Neighbour Mithu Pal said, “It is very hard to believe that the mother, who seemed so affectionate towards her sons, could commit such an act just because they avoided bathing. She clearly wasn’t in a sound mental state.”
Breaking down in tears, Surya Majumdar said, “There was no apparent problem with my wife. I don’t understand why she did this. Yes, she was mentally ill and avoided her medicines. But I never imagined she could do something so horrific.”