West Bengal / Former CM Mamata Banerjee's Niece Found Hanging At Her Home In Rampurhat

Kolkata, Sep 1: Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's niece, Bristi Mukhopadhyay, was found dead at her residence in Rampurhat of Birbhum district on Tuesday.

The 38-year-old, daughter of Banerjee’s cousin Nihar Mukhopadhyay, allegedly died by suicide, with police recovering her body from the second floor of her Kusumba village home under Rampurhat police station limits.

Family members immediately informed the police. On receiving the information, officers from Rampurhat police station reached the spot and took charge of Bristi Mukhopadhyay's dead body. The body has been sent to Rampurhat Government Medical College and Hospital for autopsy.

It is still unclear why Bristi Mukhopadhyay could have taken such an extreme decision.

Her father Nihar Mukhopadhyay said, "The girl had been suffering mental health issues for about five-six years. We used to see a doctor regularly. Today, I don't know how all this happened. We were on the ground floor of the house at that time."

The Rampurhat police have started investigating the incident.

It is worth noting that allegations of corruption related to the recruitment of primary teachers and recruitment to Group C posts in state-run schools were made against Bristi Mukhopadhyay and it was alleged that she got the job through irregularities.

It is known that her name was also on the list of job cancellations published by the West Bengal Central School Service Commission after the order of the Calcutta High Court. Bristi Mukhopadhyay's name was at number 608 on the list. However, she resigned from the job a few days after joining, citing personal reasons.

Local sources also informed that a divorce case had been going on with Bristi's husband for a few months. She was married in Ayash village under Rampurhat police station. It is also known that she has a 12-year-old child. The police are also investigating whether her death is related to this family situation.

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Former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's ancestral home is in Chakaipur village of Rampurhat Block No. I. Her maternal uncle's house is very close to it in Kusumba village.

Mamata Banerjee's maternal uncle Anil Mukhopadhyay and his son Nihar Mukhopadhyay's family live there.

Bristi's death has cast a shadow of grief over the area. Police said that clear information about the cause of death will be available after receiving the autopsy report.

--IANS