Bristy Mukherjee, 28, the relative of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was found dead in her family home in Kusumba village of Birbhum’s Rampurhat in Birbhum.
Her death comes at a time of growing controversy over the state’s school recruitment case.
Mukherjee had worked in a Group C non-teaching staff position in a school in Bolpur. Her name appeared on a list of candidates whose appointments were cancelled after legal proceedings related to the recruitment process.
Mukherjee was listed at 608 among the candidates affected by the cancellation of appointments, the newspaper reported.
The West Bengal school recruitment case was around alleged irregularities in appointments made through the 2016 State Level Selection Test.
The recruitment controversy has affected thousands of teaching and non-teaching employees. The Calcutta High Court cancelled a large number of appointments in connection with the case and the decision was later upheld by the Supreme Court.
#WATCH | Niece of former West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee found dead at her father's residence in Kusumba village, Rampurhat in Birbhum. Police present at the spot. Further Police action is underway: SP Birbhum
— ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2026
Visuals from the spot. pic.twitter.com/pRYcfRgpqB
Mukherjee was the daughter of Nihar Mukherjee, a local Trinamool Congress leader and maternal cousin of Mamata Banerjee. Her family is from Kusumba village which is linked to Banerjee’s maternal family.
There were different accounts of Mukherjee’s employment. Her family had also claimed she resigned after working for only a day because of health issues. But her name was later on the list of appointments affected by the recruitment case.
Police are investigating the circumstances of her death. Initial reports had described it as a suspected suicide, while authorities are assessing the evidence.
Her body was taken to Rampurhat Medical College and Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
West Bengal's recruitment case is still a matter of heavy political and legal controversy in the state. There have been investigations into the recruitment process involving several officials and political figures, and thousands of appointments have been challenged.
Mukherjee’s death has brought back a lot of attention to the wider recruitment issue and its effect on people whose appointments were affected by the legal proceedings.
Police are still in the process of investigating the cause of her death.
