Asish Banerjee, Former Bengal Assembly Deputy Speaker, Found Hanging at TMC Office in Birbhum

Asish Banerjee, former Deputy Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, was found dead at a TMC party office in Rampurhat, Birbhum district, on Sunday, police said. According to police officials, Banerjee's body was found hanging at the TMC office premises. A purported suicide note was also recovered.

The former TMC MLA's body has been sent for post-mortem examination. The exact circumstances leading to his death are yet to be ascertained. Further details are awaited. Banerjee had served as the Deputy Speaker of the West Bengal Assembly and was a prominent TMC leader in the Birbhum region.

Birbhum District Police said: Former Deputy Speaker and TMC former MLA from Rampurhat, Asish Bandyopadhyay, was found dead by hanging himself in his party office. A suicide note has been found, in which the deceased mentioned that "no one is responsible for my death."

Who Was Asish Banerjee?

Asish Banerjee, a veteran TMC leader, had represented Rampurhat in the state Assembly continuously from 2001 till 2026. He had served as the deputy speaker of the Assembly and held ministerial portfolios, including school education and agriculture, in the Mamata Banerjee government.

Banerjee had contested the 2026 Assembly elections from Rampurhat on a TMC ticket but lost to BJP's Dhruva Saha by more than 24,000 votes. After his electoral defeat, Banerjee was not seen to be particularly active in politics.

His political career also placed him at the centre of several significant developments in Birbhum, where he was a prominent TMC leader during the tenure of party strongman Anubrata Mondal as district president.

TMC Demands Probe

TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee said, "The tragic death of former MLA and former Dy Speaker of WBLA Ashish Banerjee is not merely heartbreaking, it should trouble the conscience of everyone who believes that politics and journalism must have boundaries. A lifelong teacher and public servant, Asish Banerjee devoted decades to serving people with honesty, dignity and simplicity. He was a respected figure and a source of pride for Birbhum. His final note raises serious and troubling questions about the sustained smear campaign he said he had endured."

"The BJP and sections of the MEDIA must reflect on the consequences of a politics where allegations are amplified, reputations are put on trial and individuals are condemned in the court of public opinion before the truth is established. Those who participated in this smear campaign should reflect on the human consequences of their words and actions. Political battles will come and go, but a life once lost can never be brought back," he added.

Senior Trinamool Congress leader, Kunal Ghosh, demanded an impartial investigation into the death of Banerjee. "The mysterious death of Ashis Bandyopadhyay in Birbhum. It's being called a suicide, and a suicide note has allegedly been found too, yet still, I'll say it—this incident calls for investigation. It's unimaginable. We demand an impartial probe," Ghosh posted on X.

"Let the police and administration conduct an impartial investigation. Let the real truth come out. Ashisda's suicide/mysterious death is the shame of Bengal's this altered politics. A former MLA and Deputy Speaker has to commit suicide in the whirlpool of politics—where do I keep this shame?" he added.

Purported Note Mentions Tarapith-Rampurhat Development Authority (TRDA)

In the purported note, which could not be independently verified by BharathINN, Banerjee is learnt to have said that no one was responsible for his death and expressed regret over entering politics. Banerjee claimed that he had never been involved in corruption and had never taken money in exchange for any work. He also wrote that although he could not always accept "wrongdoings" within the party, he had been unable to protest against them.

The note also reportedly contained a reference to the Tarapith-Rampurhat Development Authority (TRDA), with Banerjee claiming that he had no role in its tender-related decisions, cheque issuance, plan approvals or no-objection certificates. He alleged that attempts had been made to "malign" and humiliate him, and said he felt that entering politics had been a mistake.

(With agency inputs)