Mamata Banerjee's niece found dead in Birbhum, apparent suicide

Bristy Mukherjee, 28, niece of former West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC leader Mamata Banerjee, was found dead on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at her residence in Kusumba village, Rampurhat in Birbhum district. Her body was discovered hanging on the second floor of her home. She was the daughter of Nikhil Mukherjee, Mamata Banerjee's cousin.

Police recovered the body and sent it for autopsy at Rampurhat Government Medical College. An investigation has been initiated, though the exact circumstances surrounding her death await the postmortem report.

Family members said Bristy had been battling depression for some time. She worked as non-teaching staff at Bolpur Upper Primary School and lost her job following a Supreme Court order in March 2023 that cancelled teacher appointments in government-aided schools over a cash-for-jobs scandal. The court's order affected approximately 26,000 teaching and non-teaching staff across the state.