Mamata Banerjee's niece found dead at Birbhum home amid divorce proceedings

The niece of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was found dead at her home in Birbhum district on Tuesday, police said.The body of Bristi Mukherjee Ghatak, 28, was recovered from a room on the second floor of her house in Rampurhat in the afternoon.Police sent the body to Rampurhat Government Medical College and Hospital for a post-mortem examination. The cause of death is yet to be established, a senior police officer said.According to family members, Mukherjee had been suffering from depression for the past few years and was undergoing treatment. Divorce proceedings between her and her husband were also underway, according to local reports. Mukherjee had earlier faced allegations of securing a teaching job illegally in connection with the school recruitment case.Her family said she later lost the job following a Supreme Court order cancelling appointments in government-aided schools over irregularities in the recruitment process. Police have launched an investigation into Mukherjee's death, with the post-mortem report expected to shed more light on the cause.Her death comes days after senior Trinamool Congress leader and former West Bengal Assembly Deputy Speaker Asish Banerjee was found hanging inside a party office in Rampurhat on Sunday.The five-time former MLA had left a purported suicide note in which he denied allegations of corruption and claimed attempts had been made to malign him.- EndsPublished By: Devika BhattacharyaPublished On: Sep 1, 2026 15:11 IST