Former West Bengal Assembly Deputy Speaker and ex-Trinamool Congress MLA Asish Banerjee was found dead in a room at his Rampurhat residence, which also served as his party office, on Sunday. Police said his body was found hanging and a one-page handwritten suicide note in Bengali was recovered from the spot.
Banerjee, a five-time Trinamool Congress legislator from Rampurhat Assembly constituency in Birbhum district, was also a former member of the Mamata Banerjee-led state cabinet and served as Deputy Speaker of the Assembly.
In the suicide note, Banerjee said he had been involved in politics since his student days but had never engaged in corruption. He wrote that he had never taken money in exchange for any work and said that although he had differences with his party, he had not always been able to protest against what he considered injustices.
Banerjee also alleged that he had been deprived of authority within the Tarapith-Rampurhat Development Authority (TRDA) and claimed that several decisions were taken without involving him. He said he felt he had been belittled and maligned and described entering politics as a mistake. He advised his sons not to enter politics and instead continue with their respective jobs.
The incident has sent shockwaves through political circles, with questions being raised over whether political pressure or other circumstances contributed to his death.
Police have launched an investigation and are also verifying whether the suicide note was written by Banerjee. His body has been sent for post-mortem examination.
Banerjee, a teacher by profession, was defeated from Rampurhat in the Assembly elections earlier this year by a margin of around 24,000 votes. Since then, he had reportedly become largely incommunicado with the party leadership.
