Former Bengal Deputy Speaker Ashish Banerjee Found Dead at TMC Office

Kolkata, August 16, 2026 The death of former West Bengal Assembly Deputy Speaker Ashish Banerjee has added another troubling development to the state’s rapidly changing political landscape. Banerjee, a five-time MLA from Rampurhat and former minister, was found hanging at a Trinamool Congress office near his residence in Rampurhat, Birbhum, on Sunday morning. Police recovered the body and sent it for postmortem examination. A handwritten note was reportedly found near the body. According to local reports, it stated, “No one is responsible for my death.” Reports further said Banerjee expressed regret over entering politics and advised young members of his family to stay away from politics and focus on their respective professions. He also denied any involvement in corruption and reportedly said that although he could not accept the party’s “wrongdoing”, he had never been able to oppose it. In the purported note, Banerjee also spoke about his role in the Tarapith Rampurhat Development Authority (TRDA), claiming that he had no effective authority apart from attending general meetings. “I had no responsibilities at the TRDA other than attending general meetings. I was not on the tender committee. 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. Today, I feel that entering politics was a mistake. I am advising the young men of my family not to join politics; let them focus on their respective professions,” he said in the purported note. Banerjee had served as West Bengal’s education and agriculture minister and later held the post of deputy speaker during Mamata Banerjee’s tenure as chief minister. He resigned as chairman of the Trinamool Congress’s Birbhum district core committee in June but said he would continue as an ordinary member of the party. Banerjee was defeated by BJP’s Dhruba Saha in the latest state election. His death comes amid major political shifts in Bengal following the Trinamool Congress’s defeat after 15 years in power, while several former party leaders and MLAs are facing corruption-related investigations and arrests. The circumstances surrounding Banerjee’s death and the contents of the purported note are now likely to remain under scrutiny as the police investigation proceeds.