KOLKATA: Bengal's former chief minister and Trinamool Congress President Mamata Banerjee's niece Bristi Mukherjee was found dead at her residence in Birbhum district on Tuesday, police said. She allegedly died by hanging herself.
"Bristi Mukherjee's body has been sent for post-mortem examination. An investigation is underway. The circumstances leading to the death will be established after the post-mortem and other procedural inquiries," a senior officer said.
The deceased woman's family members said she had been suffering from depression for the past few years and was undergoing treatment.
The family said Mukherjee was struggling with depression after experiencing several distressing events in her life. She had lost her Group C job following a court order cancelling recruitments in government-aided schools over alleged corruption while also going through a divorce proceeding.
Mukherjee was among the 26,000 employees who lost their jobs as non-teaching staff at Bolpur’s Upper Primary School in March 2023.
The Supreme Court invalidated her appointment in April 2025, holding that the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment process during Mamata Banerjee’s tenure as chief minister was tainted by alleged favouritism and cash-for-jobs transactions.
The cash-for-jobs case was among the major corruption cases to emerge during Mamata Banerjee’s 15-year rule.
Mukherjee (28) was the daughter of Banerjee's maternal cousin Nihar Mukherjee who had previously served as the TMC president of Rampurhat-I block.
The niece's body was recovered from a room on the second floor of her house at Kusumba village in Rampurhat area Tuesday afternoon.
"It could be a case of suicide. An investigation has been launched to ascertain the exact cause of death," an officer said.
In August, this year, the former deputy speaker of the West Bengal assembly and a five-time TMC MLA Asish Banerjee, was also found dead, at the party's office with his purported handwritten note mentioning, "entering politics was a mistake".
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Tele Manas - 14416 (available 24x7) or Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)
