Ex-Bengal Dy Speaker Ashis Banerjee Found Dead At TMC Office, Note Says ‘Entering Politics Was A Mistake’

The death of veteran Trinamool Congress leader and former West Bengal Assembly deputy speaker Ashis Banerjee has triggered a political confrontation in Bengal, with a purported note found at the TMC office where he was discovered dead adding fresh questions about his final days.

Banerjee was found hanging at the party office near his residence in Rampurhat’s Hattala Para on Sunday morning. Police recovered a purported handwritten note and sent his body for post-mortem. Investigators are examining the circumstances of the death, the note and whether Banerjee died by suicide.

The reported contents of the note have put the spotlight on allegations that had surrounded Banerjee. According to reports, he wrote that “entering politics was a mistake” and advised his sons against entering politics. He also reportedly denied taking money improperly and rejected allegations of wrongdoing linked to the Tarapith-Rampurhat Development Authority (TRDA), saying he had no role in tenders or approvals. The authenticity and full contents of the note are yet to be officially established.

The timing has added another layer to the case. Ashis Banerjee, a five-time MLA from Rampurhat, had represented the constituency since 2001 and served as deputy speaker besides holding ministerial portfolios including school education and agriculture.

But the 2026 Assembly election marked a dramatic political reversal. BJP’s Dhruba Saha defeated Banerjee by 24,233 votes, ending his long electoral run. Within weeks, Banerjee stepped away from the TMC’s Birbhum district core committee amid internal criticism over the functioning of the organisation.

The political battle intensified after his death. Mamata Banerjee alleged that Ashis Banerjee had faced harassment, mental pressure and political hostility, while TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee criticised what he described as a smear campaign.

BJP Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, however, rejected suggestions that Banerjee was under government pressure over a corruption case. He said no corruption case had been registered against Banerjee and no police notice had been issued to him. Instead, Adhikari called for investigators to examine whether Banerjee had been threatened or blackmailed, including by people within the TMC. He said his phone and call records should be scrutinised.