Former West Bengal Deputy Speaker Asish Banerjee Found Dead

Former West Bengal Assembly Deputy Speaker and veteran Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Asish Banerjee was found dead by hanging on Sunday morning at a party office in Rampurhat, Birbhum district. Police recovered a one-page handwritten suicide note in which the 74-year-old stated that "entering politics was a mistake" and advised his younger family members to avoid political careers.

In the note, Banerjee denied involvement in corruption or tender decisions related to the Tarapith-Rampurhat Development Authority, claiming he had been maligned and humiliated. He also expressed regret over his inability to protest wrongdoings within the TMC. A former professor at Rampurhat College, Banerjee served as a minister for agriculture and school education and represented the Rampurhat constituency from 2001 until 2026. He lost his seat in the 2026 Assembly elections to the BJP's Dhruva Saha, a loss that coincided with the Bharatiya Janata Party taking power in West Bengal after 15 years of TMC rule.

TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee attributed the death to a sustained smear campaign conducted by the BJP and sections of the media. Senior leader Kunal Ghosh also called for a neutral investigation, alleging that Banerjee faced political pressure and insults from BJP members. Birbhum District Police have registered a case and are awaiting a post-mortem report to confirm the cause of death.