Asish Banerjee, a veteran Trinamool Congress leader and former deputy speaker of the West Bengal Assembly, was found dead on Sunday morning at a party office located close to his residence in Rampurhat, Birbhum district.

Police said Banerjee's body was discovered hanging inside the office. It was subsequently sent for a postmortem examination as part of the investigation. A sizeable crowd gathered outside the Trinamool office after news of his death spread.

Banerjee had represented Rampurhat in the state Assembly five times and had held important positions in the West Bengal government after Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress first came to power. He had also served as the Assembly's deputy speaker.

HANDWRITTEN NOTE REPORTEDLY FOUND

A handwritten note was reportedly recovered near Banerjee's body. Local reports attributed several statements to the purported note, although the contents have not been independently verified.

According to those reports, Banerjee wrote that nobody should be held responsible for his death. The note also reportedly expressed regret over his decision to enter politics and advised younger members of his family to stay away from politics and concentrate on their careers.

The reported note also contained allegations concerning the Tarapith Rampurhat Development Authority (TRDA). Banerjee reportedly stated that his role there was limited to attending general meetings and that he had no involvement in tenders, cheque approvals, building permissions or no-objection certificates.

He also reportedly rejected any suggestion that he was involved in corruption and claimed that he had been unfairly targeted.

RECENT POLITICAL SETBACK

Banerjee's death comes after a significant political setback. He contested the state election earlier this year but lost to BJP's Dhruba Saha.

In June, Banerjee had stepped down as chairman of the Trinamool Congress's Birbhum district core committee, although he said at the time that he would continue as an ordinary member of the party.

The political landscape in Birbhum has also changed sharply. The BJP won six of the district's 11 Assembly constituencies in the latest election, compared with just one seat in 2021, when the Trinamool Congress had secured 10.

TRINAMOOL FACES TOUGHER POLITICAL CLIMATE

Banerjee's death comes during a period of major political change in West Bengal following the Trinamool Congress's defeat after 15 years in government.

Several former Trinamool leaders and legislators have also faced corruption-related investigations and arrests in recent years.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding Banerjee's death, while the reported handwritten note and postmortem findings are expected to form part of the inquiry.