Who was Ashis Banerjee, 5-time TMC MLA found hanging at party office in Birbhum?

Ashis Banerjee, a five-time MLA of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), was found dead in his party office in Birbhum district on Sunday morning, possibly having taken his own life. A suicide note in Bengali was discovered at the scene, revealing that Ashis felt falsely implicated in corruption cases. Born and raised in Rampurhat, Ashis began his political career as a student at Burdwan University, eventually winning the Rampurhat assembly seat five times between 2001 and 2021.

He served as a state agriculture minister and deputy speaker of the Bengal assembly from 2021 until the BJP's electoral victory in May 2026. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleged financial corruption at the Tarapith Rampurhat Development Authority (TRDA) and accused Ashis of involvement. TMC MP Samirul Islam described Ashis as an "honest and highly educated person."

Following his death, the TMC MLA had resigned from the post of chairman of the party's Birbhum district core committee. The BJP quickly claimed that Ashis's alleged corruption involvement was the reason behind his demise, while his supporters mourned his tragic loss.