Former deputy Speaker of West Bengal found dead
In a tragic incident, former West Bengal minister and deputy speaker of the State Assembly, Ashis Banerjee, was on Sunday found dead in mysterious circumstances. The close Mamata Banerjee aide was a senior Trinamool Congress leader from Birbhum district.
Banerjee, a five-time MLA, two-time minister and a Deputy Speaker — until he lost in 2026 Assembly elections — was found hanging inside the TMC party office near his house at Rampurhat. A handwritten suicide note was recovered by his side, police said.
While the purported note read “No one is responsible for my death,” it also expressed his regret over his entry into politics. He reportedly advised his family not to join politics, those privy to the suicide note said adding, he also said that he had never in his life indulged in corrupt practices.
Incidentally, Birbhum has of late been in the news for a series of arrests of some local contractors — with TMC connections — involved in stone smuggling business and recovery of more than Rs 60 crore in cash and jewelry from various locations. One of the main accused, Tulu Mondal, a TMC leader who reportedly spent more than Rs 150 crore in his daughter’s marriage, is still at large. He is reportedly close to a senior leader of the pro-Mamata Banerjee group of TMC.
In the letter, Banerjee wrote that he had no connection with the Tara Peeth-Rampurhat Development Authority save some meetings that he attended. Tara Peeth is an ancient pilgrimage in Birbhum.
“I enjoyed no responsibilities in TRDA save attending general meetings. I did not have the authority to sign cheques. I was not involved in approving plans or issuing ‘no objection’ certificates. No one ever consulted me on these matters. I condemn the actions taken to malign me,” the stated letter read.
Referring to Banerjee’s death, pro-Mamata TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said that it was a result of “threat culture” demanding an “impartial investigation” into the incident.
Accusing the BJP for harassing the TMC leaders after the elections, party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee wrote, “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… his tragic death is not merely heartbreaking … it should trouble the conscience of everyone who believes that politics and journalism must have boundaries.”
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said that it should be seen whether he was a victim of threat from the corrupt elements in the TMC.
Bengal Minister Agnimitra Paul too said, “It needs to be seen whether he actually died by suicide or was murdered. Just because a letter has been left behind does not mean it should immediately be called suicide.”
