NEW DELHI: West Begal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said he would ensure probe into suicide of TMC leader Asish Banerjee to ascertain if the former ex-deputy speaker was “threatened”.“Will probe if anyone threatened him”, CM Suvendu said as per news agency PTI, hours after the TMC leader died by suicide.Banerjee was found dead on Sunday morning at a Trinamool Congress office at Rampurhat in the Birbhum district.His body was found hanging and was sent for a post-mortem examination, police said. The circumstances surrounding his death are not yet clear.The leader’s death has triggered demands for an independent investigation, with questions being raised over the circumstances surrounding his suicide.TMC legislator Kunal Ghosh called for an impartial probe and said Banerjee had referred to mental pressure and fear of social stigma in his suicide note. Ghosh also sought to link the death to the political developments within the Trinamool Congress.ALSO READ | ‘TMC not functioning properly’: Resignation, poll defeat cast shadow before Asish Banerjee’s death“In his suicide note, he had written that he was unable to bear the mental pressure arising out of the fear of social stigma. He could not survive even after being a ‘Good Trinamool’. The Bharatiya Janata Party should take responsibility for this. We want an impartial investigation into the incident,” said Ghosh.Ghosh’s reference to Banerjee as “Good Trinamool” appeared to point to the former MLA’s association with a faction of the party led by expelled leader Ritabrata Banerjee.
BJP MLA seeks probe into circumstances
BJP MLA Dhruba Saha, who defeated Banerjee from Rampurhat in the recently concluded Assembly election by around 24,000 votes, also expressed shock over his death.Saha said he had met Banerjee only a few days earlier and questioned why a five-time MLA would take such an extreme step.“I met him a few days back. I still cannot think that he took such an extreme step. There should be an investigation into why a five-time MLA did such a thing and that too at this age. If necessary, an investigation should be conducted by another organisation. It should be investigated whether there is any other reason behind the development,” Saha told media persons.
Banerjee’s political career
A teacher by profession, Banerjee had represented the Rampurhat Assembly constituency five times. He had also served as West Bengal’s agriculture minister in the previous Mamata Banerjee-led government and later held the post of Deputy Speaker of the Assembly.
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Following the Trinamool Congress’s defeat in the recent Assembly polls, in which Banerjee also lost his Rampurhat seat, he had reportedly remained largely away from active politics.His family members told the media that he had also kept away from political activities during this period.The developments have now led to calls for an investigation into what may have preceded his death, including whether he was under any form of pressure or threat.ALSO READ | A political setback, resignation and more: Mystery surrounds Ashis Banerjee death at TMC office
