Police launched an unnatural death investigation after a 62-year-old canteen worker, Umesh Chandra Das, was found dead inside a restroom at the West Bengal Legislative Assembly in Kolkata on Monday morning, November 2, 2026. Authorities reported no initial signs of physical trauma.
Discovery Inside the Assembly Restroom
As time passed without his return, coworkers grew concerned. Finding the restroom door bolted from the inside and receiving no response to repeated calls, staff members decided to force the entry. Upon opening the door, they found him unconscious on the floor.
Assembly officials and the marshal were immediately notified, alongside the Hare Street police station. Officers arrived at the scene to recover the body and transferred it for a post-mortem examination. While initial police assessments suggest a possible cardiac arrest due to age-related factors, investigators stressed that definitive conclusions require the autopsy report. The exact age of the worker was reported differently across accounts, with some outlets noting him at 46 years old and others recording him at 62 years old.
Fifteen Years of Service at the Legislative Canteen
Das had worked as a temporary staff member within the assembly canteen for roughly 15 years. The facility is managed by a private catering contractor, under whom Das was employed. Hailing from the Tiljala area of Kolkata, he lived on-site within the assembly canteen premises, utilizing the workspace for both his daily meals and overnight lodging.
Because the legislative body was not currently in session following the holiday period, visitor and staff traffic inside the building was significantly lower than usual. Consequently, the discovery of the body did not disrupt the regular environment of the administrative center, though it drew a swift response from higher-level law enforcement.
Investigation by Hare Street Police and Homicide Division
Hare Street police registered an unnatural death case and cordoned off the restroom and surrounding area for forensic evaluation. In addition to local precinct officers, a team from the Lalbazar homicide division, scientific wing experts, and a dog squad examined the scene, reviewed CCTV footage, and collected evidentiary samples.
Assembly Speaker Rathindranath Bose and Marshal Debabrata Mukherjee were kept informed of the developments as investigators secured the perimeter. Officials confirmed that no formal complaints had been filed and no external marks of violence were immediately observed on the body. Authorities await the results of the post-mortem examination to determine the precise cause of death.