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Ashish Banerjee, former West Bengal Deputy Speaker, found dead in TMC office
Ashish Banerjee, a veteran Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and former Deputy Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, was found dead on Sunday morning. His body was discovered hanging inside a TMC party office in Rampurhat, Birbhum district, located near his residence.
Police recovered a handwritten one-page suicide note at the scene. In the purported note, Banerjee denied any involvement in corruption throughout his political career, including his time as a student union general secretary at Burdwan University. He expressed regret over entering politics and advised his family members to pursue professional careers instead. The note also addressed his role in the Tarapith-Rampurhat Development Authority (TRDA), where he claimed he had no authority over tenders, cheque signing, or plan approvals, alleging that attempts had been made to malign his reputation.
Banerjee was a five-time MLA for the Rampurhat constituency, serving from 2001 until his defeat in the 2026 assembly elections by BJP candidate Dhruba Saha. He had previously held ministerial portfolios for School Education and Agriculture.
Political leaders have reacted to the incident with varying tones. Mamata Banerjee expressed deep sadness, noting the mental pressure Banerjee faced, while Suvendu Adhikari called for an investigation into potential blackmailing or threats. Police have sent the body for post-mortem and are investigating the circumstances of his death.
Entities
Ashish Banerjee · Asish Banerjee · Birbhum · Dhruba Saha · Mamata Banerjee · Rampurhat · Tarapith-Rampurhat Development Authority · Trinamool Congress · West Bengal Legislative Assembly
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 4 SOURCES] A purported suicide note was recovered from the party office. thefederal.com · www.zoomnews.in
- [● 4 SOURCES] Asish Banerjee was found hanging at a Trinamool Congress office in Birbhum district. thefederal.com · www.zoomnews.in
- [● 4 SOURCES] Banerjee was a five-time MLA from the Rampurhat constituency. thefederal.com · www.zoomnews.in
- [● 2 SOURCES] Banerjee previously served as the state's School Education, Agriculture, and AYUSH Minister. thefederal.com
- [● 4 SOURCES] Asish Banerjee served as the Deputy Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. thefederal.com · www.zoomnews.in
- [● 2 SOURCES] Banerjee lost the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election in Rampurhat to BJP candidate Dhruba Saha. thefederal.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Banerjee's body has been sent for post-mortem examination. thefederal.com
- [● 19 SOURCES] Ashish Banerjee's body was found hanging in the TMC party office in Rampurhat. navabharat.com · indias.news · hindi.newsbytesapp.com · thefederal.com · www.news9live.com · +9 more
- [● 33 SOURCES] The body has been sent for a postmortem examination to determine the cause of death. navabharat.com · indias.news · hindi.newsbytesapp.com · thefederal.com · thenews21.com · +22 more
- [● 33 SOURCES] Ashish Banerjee served five consecutive terms as an MLA from the Rampurhat constituency. navabharat.com · indias.news · hindi.newsbytesapp.com · thefederal.com · thenews21.com · +22 more
- [● 36 SOURCES] A suicide note was recovered from the scene. navabharat.com · hindi.newsbytesapp.com · thefederal.com · www.news9live.com · www.zoomnews.in · +24 more
- [● 30 SOURCES] In the 2026 assembly elections, Banerjee lost his seat to BJP candidate Dhruv Saha by over 24,000 votes. navabharat.com · indias.news · hindi.newsbytesapp.com · thefederal.com · thenews21.com · +17 more