Mamata’s close aide Asish Banerjee found dead at TMC office, suicide note says ‘entering politics was a mistake’
A purported suicide note is recovered from the party office located near his residence in Rampurhat
Former TMC MLA Asish Banerjee, a close aide of party supremo Mamata Banerjee, was found dead on Sunday under mysterious circumstances.
His body was recovered hanging inside the party office adjacent to his residence, and a suicide note was also found.
A five-time MLA from Rampurhat, Asish had represented the constituency for 25 consecutive years from 2001 to 2026. He, however, lost the seat to Bharatiya Janata Party's Dhruba Saha in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly polls.
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During Mamata's tenure, he served as the Deputy Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.
Asish lived in Hattalapara, Ward No. 5, Rampurhat. A party office was attached to his house. A crowd gathered in the area on Sunday morning after his body was recovered from there.
Police from the Rampurhat police station arrived at the scene, recovered the body, and sent it for an autopsy.
The incident comes a day after the former TMC MLA participated in a local Independence Day celebration and hoisted the tricolour.
TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee said the death of his party colleague is not merely heartbreaking. Still, it should "trouble the conscience of everyone who believes that politics and journalism must have boundaries".
"A lifelong teacher and public servant, Asish Da devoted decades to serving people with honesty, dignity and simplicity. He was a respected figure and a source of pride for Rampurhat and the entire Birbhum district. His final note raises serious and troubling questions about the sustained smear campaign he said he had endured," he said in a long post on X.
"The BJP and sections of the MEDIA must reflect on the consequences of a politics where allegations are amplified, reputations are put on trial, and individuals are condemned in the court of public opinion before the truth is established," he added.
In the purported suicide note, originally written in Bengali, Asish vehemently denied any wrongdoing, stating he was never involved in corruption throughout his political life. He apparently referred to alleged wrongdoings related to the Tarapith Rampurhat Development Authority (TRDA), where he had served as the chairperson, reports said.
Asish claimed that he had no role in the civic planning and development agency's tender-related decisions, cheque issuance, plan approvals or no-objection certificates. He alleged that attempts had been made to "malign" him, and said he felt that entering politics had been a mistake.
The veteran TMC leader also wrote that although he could not always accept "wrongdoings" within the party, he had been unable to protest against them.
His death comes months after the TMC lost power in West Bengal following its 15-year rule, with the BJP forming the government after the 2026 Assembly polls.
Meanwhile, the police are investigating whether he died by suicide and, if so, what prompted him to take the extreme step.
