Satyajit Banerjee, vice-chairman of West Bengal's North Barrackpore Municipality found hanging in room

KOLKATA: Mystery shrouds the death of Satyajit Banerjee, the 67-year-old vice-chairman of North Barrackpore Municipality and one of the longest-serving councillors in West Bengal. His body was found hanging in an attic of his rented accommodation at Barrackpore in North 24-Parganas on Saturday afternoon.

Banerjee reportedly went missing on Friday morning. Police recovered a two-and-a-half-page suicide note in which he reportedly mentioned being blackmailed with a video clip, which he held responsible for his death. Police are verifying the authenticity of the note.

According to local sources, Banerjee, an eight-time councillor since 1984, representing wards 8, 6, and 7, and the vice-chairman of Uttar (North) Barrackpore Municipality, was a long-time resident of Barrackpore's Anandamath area. Due to renovation work on his property, he had temporarily rented a house in the same neighbourhood with his family.

"He continued attending the municipal office as vice-chairman as usual until Thursday," Malay Ghosh, chairman of the Trinamool-led North Barrackpore Municipality, told TOI. "We held a CIC meeting on Thursday afternoon, where Banerjee actively participated for over two hours. He seemed completely normal, and there were no signs of any unusual behaviour," Ghosh said while speaking to TOI.

Expressing shock over the incident, Ghosh added, "His sudden and unnatural death has left us deeply shaken. Banerjee was a highly active and dedicated individual, both in the municipality and within our party."

According to family sources, Banerjee left the house early on Friday morning. "However, he could not be located throughout the day. Despite multiple attempts by the family to contact him, they were unsuccessful. His mobile phone was found to be switched off. Even after inquiring with acquaintances, there was no trace of him, after which a missing complaint was lodged with Barrackpore PS," a relative of Banerjee said.

The police found a two-and-a-half-page suicide note beside the body. It has been reported that the note mentions the names of four individuals. According to police sources, the suicide note claims that a few individuals used fake videos on mobile phones to blackmail and extort money from him. "We are investigating whether this harassment ultimately led to Banerjee's death," an investigating officer said.

The victim's son, Sarthak Bandyopadhyaysaid, "My father mentioned the names of a few people, both men and women. They used to put mental pressure on him, mostly regarding money matters. There will surely be an investigation against them."

Police refrained from providing detailed information about the contents of the suicide note. "An unnatural death case has already been initiated, and we are also waiting for the autopsy report to know the exact cause behind his death. Everything is at a preliminary stage. A note has been found, and we are examining it," a senior police officer of the Barrackpore commissionerate said.