Former West Bengal deputy speaker found dead in TMC Office

Former Trinamool Congress MLA and former West Bengal Assembly Deputy Speaker Ashish Banerjee was found dead under mysterious circumstances at a party office in Rampurhat on Sunday morning.

His body was found hanging inside the Trinamool Congress office adjacent to his residence. Police also recovered a suicide note from the scene. His body has been sent for a post-mortem examination.

Birbhum Superintendent of Police Bidit Raj Bhundesh said the incident appeared to be a suicide based on preliminary findings.

“We have recovered a suicide note in which he wrote, ‘No one is responsible for my death,’” the police officer said.

Banerjee, a five-time MLA from Rampurhat, served as West Bengal Assembly Deputy Speaker during the tenure of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He represented Rampurhat from 2001 to 2026 but lost the 2026 Assembly election to BJP candidate Dhruva Saha.

After the Trinamool Congress came to power in West Bengal, Banerjee served in Mamata Banerjee’s cabinet on several occasions, including as school education minister and agriculture minister.

Police reached the party office after receiving the information, recovered the body and sent it for an autopsy. An investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death is underway.