Bristi Mukherjee, niece of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was found dead at her residence in Birbhum district on Tuesday, police said.

The 28-year-old's body was recovered from a room on the second floor of her house in Kusumba village in the Rampurhat area, a senior police officer said.

"The body has been sent for post-mortem examination. An investigation is underway. The circumstances leading to the death will be established after the post-mortem and other procedural inquiries," the officer said.

According to family members, Mukherjee had been suffering from depression for the past few years and was undergoing treatment. They said she had recently lost her job after a Supreme Court order cancelled recruitments in government-aided schools over alleged corruption.

Mukherjee was married in Ayash village under Rampurhat police station and had a 12-year-old child, family members said. A divorce case involving her had been ongoing for a few months. Her name was on the list of job cancellations issued by the Calcutta High Court, they added.

Police said clear information about the cause of death would be available after receiving the autopsy report.

Mukherjee was the daughter of Mamata Banerjee's cousin Nihar Mukhopadhyay, according to family members.