Mamata Banerjee aide Ashish Banerjee dies mysteriously; police probe suicide note

Kolkata: Former West Bengal Assembly Deputy Speaker and senior Trinamool Congress leader Ashish Banerjee was found dead at a party office in Rampurhat, Birbhum district, on Sunday, with police recovering a handwritten note from the spot.

Banerjee, a five-time TMC MLA from Rampurhat, had also served as a minister in the Mamata Banerjee-led government. Police said he was found hanging inside the office and have sent his body for postmortem.

In the one-page note, Banerjee reportedly described his decision to enter politics as a mistake and maintained that he had never indulged in corruption or taken money for any work.

He also alleged that he had been sidelined and deprived of powers in the Tarapith-Rampurhat Development Authority (TRDA). The note reportedly mentioned that several actions had been taken to undermine him and that he had advised his sons against entering politics.

Police have begun an investigation and are verifying the authenticity of the note. Officials are examining whether political pressure or other circumstances contributed to his death.