A middle-aged West Bengal government employee posted at the Karigori Bhawan in Kolkata on Thursday stabbed his four colleagues, reportedly in a fit of rage, the police said.

The man, identified as Amit Sarkar, allegedly stabbed his colleagues because they “made jokes about his father.” The incident took place around 12.30 pm, the police said.

The injured have been identified as Joydev Chakraborty, Sheikh Shatabul, Shantanu Saha and Sartha Let. It was only after a traffic policeman “repeatedly requested” him to throw the knife, did Sarkar let go of the sharp weapon and the police arrested him.

Sources in the Techno City police said all four persons were admitted to a nearby private hospital. Two of them are in critical condition. A senior police officer said, “After the arrest, Sarkar said he had a cool head but his four colleagues joked about his father and thus he attacked them. We are verifying the cause of the incident.” He said an FIR had been filed against Sarkar at the station.

He added, “After a preliminary inquiry, we came to know Sarkar was angry as he had not gotten any leave for several days. Even when his mother was ill, he had appealed for leave but that request too was declined. We will question his higher officials.”