Kolkata, August 16: Former Deputy Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly Asish Banerjee was discovered hanging under mysterious circumstances at a Trinamool Congress office in Birbhum district, local police confirmed Sunday. The incident occurred in Hattalapara, Ward No. 5 of Rampurhat, inside a party facility attached to his primary residence.
A preliminary investigation by Rampurhat police station officers led to the recovery of a purported suicide note alongside his body, which has been dispatched to Rampurhat Medical College for an autopsy. In the handwritten document, the veteran political figure maintained that he had never participated in unlawful activities or financial impropriety throughout his public career.
“No one is responsible for my death,” the official note stated according to Birbhum Superintendent of Police Vidit Raj Bhundesh, who confirmed the recovery of the document.
Banerjee, who served as a senior leader in Mamata Banerjee’s cabinet as both School Education Minister and Agriculture Minister, represented the Rampurhat constituency continuously for 25 years between 2001 and 2026. His quarter-century tenure as MLA came to an end during the 2026 Assembly polls when he lost the seat to Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Dhruba Saha.
The tragic discovery occurred just hours after Banerjee actively participated in local Independence Day celebrations, where he hoisted the national flag in his neighborhood. Police officials continue to secure the scene while investigating the precise circumstances surrounding the event.
