Bristy Mukherjee, the 28-year-old niece of Trinamool Congress chief and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was found dead at her residence in Birbhum district on Tuesday, police said.

Mukherjee was found on the second floor of her family home in Kusumba village in the Rampurhat area. The police have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.

Bristy Mukherjee was Mamata Banerjee’s distant cousin’s daughter

Bristy Mukherjee was the daughter of Nihar Mukherjee, who is Mamata Banerjee’s maternal cousin and a regional Trinamool Congress leader.

According to the report, Mukherjee had earlier worked as a non-teaching staff member at Bolpur Upper Primary School. She was among those who lost their jobs following the court proceedings related to the West Bengal school recruitment case.

The appointments of nearly 26,000 teaching and non-teaching staff in state government-aided schools were struck down by the Calcutta High Court, with the Supreme Court later upholding the order.

Police investigation underway

Police said Mukherjee’s body has been sent for an autopsy. An investigation into her death is underway, with authorities expected to establish the circumstances after the post-mortem and other procedural inquiries.

Sources close to the family told that Mukherjee had been undergoing treatment for depression for the past few years.

At this stage, the circumstances and exact cause of her death have not been officially established by the police. Further details are awaited as the investigation progresses.

Union Minister Chirag Paswan has received a death threat through an anonymous letter that warned he would be killed by “hardcore terrorists”.

Mr Paswan, who heads the Lok Janshakti Party and is the Union Minister for Food Processing Industries, has Z-plus security.

The matter has been conveyed to the Union Home Ministry, and Home Minister Amit Shah has also been informed. The threat has additionally been brought to the attention of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Bihar government.

Letter seeks urgent investigation

According to a letter sent to the Home Ministry by Chirag Paswan’s secretary, an unsigned communication containing two mobile phone numbers was received by the ministry.

The letter described the communication as containing a direct threat to the life of the Union Minister for Food Processing Industries.

The message reportedly stated: “You will be killed shortly by hardcore terrorists.”

The letter described the direct nature of the threat and its reference to “hardcore terrorists” as a matter of grave concern, raising concerns about the minister’s safety and security.

It requested that the matter be taken up urgently for investigation and that the minister’s security arrangements be reviewed and scaled up if necessary.

Earlier threats to political leaders

The development comes after other instances of death threats involving prominent political leaders.

In August, a man was arrested in Jharkhand for issuing death threats to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The man, identified as Alim Ansari, had posted objectionable videos on social media in which he used abusive language against Prime Minister Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Amit Shah, besides issuing death threats.

In 2023, the Delhi Police reported receiving two phone calls from a man threatening to kill Prime Minister Modi, Amit Shah and then Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has alleged that corruption in Uttar Pradesh is making it difficult for honest government officers to continue in service, claiming that some are choosing to leave before completing their tenure.

Yadav made the remarks while commenting on the resignation of IAS officer Divya Mittal. He alleged that the situation in the state was such that honest officers were finding it increasingly difficult to work.

According to Yadav, officers who want to discharge their duties honestly are facing an environment that is not conducive to their functioning. He claimed that some such officers are opting to leave government service rather than continue under these circumstances.

Akhilesh Yadav’s remarks on honest officers

Yadav linked the resignation of officers to what he described as the prevailing corruption in the Uttar Pradesh administration.

The Samajwadi Party leader alleged that officers who do not want to compromise with corruption are being pushed towards leaving service. His remarks came in the context of Divya Mittal’s resignation from the IAS.

Yadav’s comments are allegations directed at the state administration and do not, by themselves, establish that corruption was the reason for any particular officer’s resignation.

Divya Mittal’s resignation

IAS officer Divya Mittal’s resignation was the immediate context for Yadav’s remarks. Yadav used the development to raise questions about the working environment for government officers in Uttar Pradesh.

The Samajwadi Party chief argued that the departure of officers before retirement raises concerns about the conditions under which government officials are expected to work.

His comments add to the political debate over governance and corruption in Uttar Pradesh.