West Bengal: Former Deputy Speaker Ashish Banerjee's body recovered from office

The body of senior politician and former Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Ashish Banerjee was recovered from his office at his residence in Rampurhat, Birbhum district, on Sunday. According to news agency reports, the police have sent the body for post-mortem. The cause of death has not been ascertained yet. The police said that the case is being investigated from all angles. As soon as the incident was reported, a large number of party workers and local people gathered outside his office. The police reached the spot and started investigating the scene. The actual cause of death will be clear only after the post-mortem report and investigation are completed.

Ashish Banerjee was a well-known name in West Bengal politics. He was elected as an MLA from the Rampurhat assembly seat for five consecutive terms. In the then Mamata Banerjee government, he held the portfolios of school education, agriculture, and Ayush departments. Later, he also served as the Deputy Speaker of the West Bengal Assembly. During his political career, Ashish Banerjee worked on several projects in the state, handling important departments like education and agriculture. As the Deputy Speaker, he also played an active role in the assembly proceedings.

In the West Bengal Assembly elections held this year in 2026, he lost the election from the Rampurhat seat to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Dhruv Sahay in a close contest. Despite the defeat, he remained active in the area and was in touch with party workers. As soon as the news of his death spread, a wave of mourning ran through Rampurhat. His supporters gathered outside his residence, and various speculations started circulating about the incident. The police have currently taken the body into their custody and started the investigation, and the post-mortem report is awaited.