Mamata Banerjee’s Niece Found Dead at Home, Had Lost Job After Teacher Recruitment Probe

Kolkata: Sad news has come out from West Bengal. Bristi Mukherjee, daughter of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's cousin, died in Rampurhat in Birbhum district on Tuesday. The body of 28-year-old Bristi was found in a room on the second floor of her house in Kusumba village. The family members saw her dead at around 9 in the morning and informed the police. Police reached the spot and sent the body to Rampurhat Government Medical College for post-mortem. At present the police is investigating from every angle.

What happened inside the house?

According to police, when the family members went to the second floor on Tuesday morning, Bristi was found lying dead. As soon as information about the incident was received, the police of Rampurhat police station reached Kusumba village. The room was searched and people nearby were questioned. How the death occurred is not yet clear. Police say that the real cause of death will be known only after the postmortem report comes. Initially some reports are raising suspicion of suicide, but the police have not yet confirmed it.

Does job loss have any connection with this death?

Bristi's name was linked to the much-discussed school recruitment scam of Bengal. In March 2023, she got a job as a Group-D employee in a government upper primary school in Bolpur. Later, when the case of rigging in 26 thousand appointments reached the court, she also lost her job. Calcutta High Court had ordered cancellation of all fake appointments, which was also upheld by the Supreme Court. Bristi's name was also included in this list.

What was the whole matter of 26 thousand appointments?

This entire matter is related to the West Bengal School Service Commission examination in 2016. It was alleged that huge amounts of money were taken in the recruitment of teachers and non-teaching staff and rules were ignored. After investigation, the court cancelled about 26 thousand appointments. Former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee was also arrested in this case and he remained in jail for a long time. Thousands of youth had lost their jobs due to this scam.

What explanation was the family giving regarding this job?

Bristy's family says that she resigned due to health reasons a day after joining the job. She says that she did not want to do the job. Despite this, when the court released the job cancellation list, her name appeared at number 608 in it. The family says that Bristi was very upset due to her name being dragged in the media.

What was her relationship with Mamata Banerjee?

Bristi's father Nihar Mukherjee is the son of Mamata Banerjee's maternal uncle. That means he is Mamata Banerjee's cousin. Nihar Mukherjee himself is considered a leader associated with Trinamool Congress at the local level. For this reason Bristi was seen as a relative of the former CM. As soon as the news of her death came, the old recruitment scam once again came into the headlines.

Had she been under stress for some time?

Some Bengali media reports are claiming that Bristi was in depression after losing her job. Sources close to the family say that she was suffering from mental stress for a long time and was also undergoing treatment. However, the police say that these things cannot be considered the cause of death yet. Police are recording the statements of the family members and the postmortem report is awaited. Only after that it will be clear whether it is suicide or some other reason.