Trinamool Congress leader and former West Bengal Assembly Deputy Speaker Asish Banerjee was found dead inside a party office in Birbhum district on Sunday morning, with police investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.
Banerjee, a former minister and five-time MLA from Rampurhat, represented the constituency continuously from 2001 until 2026. He lost the seat to BJP’s Dhruba Saha in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. His body was found at a TMC office adjacent to his residence in Rampurhat, a day after he had participated in a local Independence Day programme.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
A purported handwritten note in Bengali was also recovered. In the note, Banerjee reportedly denied allegations of corruption and referred to issues concerning the Tarapith Rampurhat Development Authority, where he had served as chairperson. He reportedly maintained that he had no role in tender decisions, cheque issuance or plan approvals.
Police have not yet established the circumstances leading to his death. His body has been sent for postmortem, while further investigation is underway.
Banerjee had reportedly remained relatively inactive in politics following his electoral defeat earlier this year. His death comes months after the BJP ended the TMC’s 15-year rule in West Bengal.
