{
  "id": 1231885,
  "title": "Ex-TMC MLA Banerjee found dead at party office",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/ex-tmc-mla-banerjee-found-dead-at-party-office",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-16T03:05:25.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times",
    "slug": "the-economic-times",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/ex-deputy-bengal-assembly-speaker-ashis-banerjee-found-hanging-at-tmc-party-office-in-birbhum-police-says/articleshow/133269231.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former deputy speaker and prominent Trinamool Congress leader Ashis Banerjee was discovered hanging at a party office in Birbhum district on Sunday morning, according to police sources. A purported suicide note was also recovered from the TMC office near Banerjee's residence in Hattala Para, Rampurhat. Police have taken Banerjee's body for a post-mortem examination, as they investigate the circumstances of his death. The post-mortem and contents of the note may offer further insight into the events leading to his passing. Banerjee, who represented Rampurhat in the West Bengal Assembly from 2001 to 2026, served as deputy speaker and held ministerial positions in the Mamata Banerjee government. He lost the 2026 Assembly elections to BJP's Dhruva Saha by more than 24,000 votes. Party sources suggest Banerjee had become less active in politics following his electoral defeat. As West Bengal's political scene has undergone a significant transformation due to the TMC's recent electoral loss, several former TMC legislators and leaders are currently under investigation for alleged corruption. Police are trying to determine if Banerjee's death was a result of suicide and if so, what factors contributed to his decision.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}