4 min readKolkataAug 16, 2026 04:37 PM IST
First published on: Aug 16, 2026 at 04:37 PM IST
Asish Banerjee, former West Bengal Deputy Speaker and a five-time MLA from Rampurhat who spent nearly 25 years in electoral politics, was found hanging at his residence in Hattalapara, Rampurhat, on Sunday morning. He was 74. Police said a handwritten note was found near his body.
Banerjee, a doctorate holder and retired associate professor at Rampurhat College, was a familiar face in Rampurhat politics. He first won the Rampurhat seat as a Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate and held it until 2026, when he lost to BJP’s Dhruba Saha by 24,233 votes.
In 2011, Banerjee joined the Mamata Banerjee Cabinet, handling key portfolios including agriculture and AYUSH. He was elected Deputy Speaker of the Assembly in July 2021 and remained in the post until May 2026, following the TMC’s defeat in the Assembly election.
His long political career, however, was not without controversy. In 2022, following the Bogtui killings in Birbhum, then TMC district president Anubrata Mondal publicly alleged that Banerjee had opposed the removal of Anarul Hussain, the party’s Rampurhat block president, who was later arrested in connection with the case. Banerjee denied the allegation, saying the decision to retain Hussain had been taken collectively by the organisation.
The episode exposed factional tensions within the TMC’s Birbhum unit and brought the normally low-profile MLA into the spotlight. In March 2023, when Banerjee visited Bogtui, some residents who had lost family members in the violence protested against him and refused to meet him.
Banerjee also faced criticism from the Opposition over his conduct during an earlier Assembly protest. CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty had alleged that Banerjee was involved in the ruckus in the Assembly in 2006, when BJP and Left members were protesting after police stopped Mamata Banerjee from visiting Singur. Banerjee’s supporters, meanwhile, continued to portray him as a soft-spoken academic and a veteran leader who had largely stayed away from the rougher edges of Bengal politics.
Despite the controversies, Banerjee was again fielded by the TMC in the 2026 Assembly election from Rampurhat. He polled 87,687 votes against Saha’s 1,11,920, ending his uninterrupted 25-year run as the constituency’s MLA.
Banerjee subsequently withdrew from active politics and, in June, stepped down as chairman of the TMC’s Birbhum district core committee, according to reports. His death came about two months after his resignation.
According to Birbhum police, Banerjee’s body was found hanging from a fan by a yellow nylon rope. The room had two doors, both of which were found locked from the inside in the presence of family members and independent witnesses, police said. A post-mortem examination and further investigation are under way.
Political reactions
Banerjee’s death triggered reactions across party lines. Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Ritabrata Banerjee described the former minister as a respected politician and educator.
“We have no words to express grief over the passing of Asish Banerjee. Asishhda was a universally respected, honest politician and a popular educator who taught at Rampurhat College, having been active in politics since his student days,” he said.
TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh alleged that Banerjee had faced threats and humiliation and said these circumstances should also be examined as a possible case of abetment.
“The BJP had subjected Asish Banerjee to threats and insults… Even after this, sycophants did not stand by Asishda. As a result, his body was recovered. This incident of threats must also be considered abetment to suicide. Banerjee’s death is a dangerous example of the trend of humiliating TMC leaders,” he said.
Asish Banerjee, a doctorate holder and retired associate professor at Rampurhat College, was a familiar face in Rampurhat politics. (Special Arrangement) 
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