Mamata Banerjee’s Niece Dies in Birbhum, Police Launch Probe

Bristi Mukherjee, 28, identified as the niece of West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, was found hanging at her residence in Birbhum district on Tuesday, police said.

Mukherjee’s body was recovered from a room on the second floor of her family home in Kusumba village, located in the Rampurhat area, during the afternoon. Police subsequently sent the body for a post-mortem examination as part of the investigation into her death.

A senior police officer said the circumstances surrounding the incident were being examined and that the exact cause of death would be determined after the post-mortem and completion of other procedural inquiries.

Mukherjee was the daughter of Nihar Mukherjee, Mamata Banerjee’s maternal cousin, who had previously served as the Trinamool Congress president of the Rampurhat-I block.

According to family members, Mukherjee had been undergoing treatment for depression for several years. They also said she had recently faced personal and professional difficulties that had reportedly added to her distress.

Family members said Mukherjee had lost her Group C job following a court order that cancelled recruitments in government-aided schools amid allegations of irregularities and corruption in the recruitment process.

They further said she was going through divorce proceedings, which had become another source of emotional distress in recent months.

Police said the circumstances indicated that the death could be a case of suicide, but stressed that no conclusion had been reached yet. An investigation has been initiated to establish the precise sequence of events and determine the cause of death.

Authorities are awaiting the post-mortem findings and other investigative inputs before making a final determination.