Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata

Kolkata, Sep 1: Trinamool Congress supremo and former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's 28-year-old niece, Bristy Mukherjee, was found dead at her residence in Birbhum district on Tuesday, police said.

Mukherjee was found hanging inside a room on the second floor of her family home in Kusumba village under the Rampurhat police station limits. Her body was recovered on Tuesday afternoon and sent for post-mortem examination. Police have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.

Bristy Mukherjee was the daughter of Mamata Banerjee's distant cousin Nihar Mukherjee. According to family members, she had been undergoing treatment for depression for the past few years.

Reports also said that Mukherjee had lost her job following court proceedings related to the cancellation of recruitments in government-aided schools over alleged irregularities. She was among those affected by the cancellation of appointments.

Police said the exact circumstances leading to her death would be established after the post-mortem examination and other procedural inquiries. An investigation is currently underway.

Initial reports have described the death as a suspected suicide, but the authorities have not yet established the circumstances conclusively.