Former Indian Minister Ashish Banerjee Found Dead with Suicide Note

The body of Ashish Banerjee, a five-time MLA from Rampurhat in Birbhum district and a former minister in the Mamata Banerjee government, was found hanging in the party office near his residence on Sunday morning. The 75-year-old, who represented Rampurhat from 2001 to 2026, had lost to BJP candidate Dhruv Saha in the recent assembly elections. Police have found a one-page suicide note near the body, which has created a stir in the state's political corridors. In his last message, the former deputy speaker wrote that no one is responsible for my death. But today I am realizing that joining politics was the biggest mistake of my life. Ashish, a teacher by profession, wrote in the note that he did not take a single penny wrongly throughout his life and always taught students without fees. He never mentioned about sidelining himself in the Tarapith Rampurhat Development Authority (TRDA) and conspiring to tarnish his image. He continued to express his grief and expressed his disappointment in politics.