Body of canteen worker found in toilet at high-security Bengal Assembly; probe underway

Kolkata: The body of a canteen worker was found inside a toilet at the West Bengal Legislative Assembly on Monday morning, triggering a police investigation and raising questions about security at the high-security premises.

The deceased was identified as Umesh Chandra Das, a temporary employee who had been working at the Assembly for the past 15 years, police said.

Additional Commissioner of Kolkata Police (Detective Department) Kunal Agarwal said investigators were trying to establish the circumstances surrounding the death.

“The name of the deceased is Umesh Chandra Das. He has been a temporary worker of the Assembly for the last 15 years. How this incident happened is being investigated. Detectives from the Homicide Department have already arrived. We have started an investigation,” he said.

According to police and Assembly sources, Das was found unconscious inside a toilet by fellow workers on Monday morning. They alerted Assembly authorities and security personnel, who subsequently informed the Hare Street police station.

Police personnel, along with Assembly security staff, brought Das out of the toilet and rushed him to a hospital. However, doctors declared him dead on arrival.

The circumstances leading to his death remain unclear. Police are investigating whether he died due to a medical condition or other factors. His body has been sent for post-mortem examination to determine the cause of death.

Investigators have also begun examining CCTV footage from the Assembly premises and questioning Das's colleagues to piece together the events preceding the discovery of his body.

The incident has raised concerns as it occurred inside a sensitive government building with a tightly controlled security perimeter. Police have not disclosed any preliminary findings, and further details are awaited.