Prateek Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav's son and Akhilesh’s stepbrother, dies at 38

Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav's son Prateek Yadav, passed away at Lucknow's Civil Hospital. He was 38.

Prateek, the stepbrother of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, was the husband of BJP leader Aparna Yadav. Prateek was Mulayam Singh’s second son.

Yadav, a fitness enthusiast, had stayed away from active politics. However, his wife, Aparna Bisht Yadav, joined the BJP and is currently the vice chairperson of the State Women Commission.

The cause of death is not known yet.

PTI citing sources reports that Prateek had suddenly fallen ill and was rushed to the civil hospital in the early hours of the day but declared dead at the hospital.

Confirming the news, Samajwadi Party's X handle posted, "The passing of Prateek Yadav is deeply saddening. May God grant peace to the departed soul..."

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the "sudden demise" of Prateek Yadav was "extremely heartbreaking" as he extended his condolences to the family.

"The sudden demise of Shri Prateek Yadav Ji, son of former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, 'Padma Vibhushan', the late Mulayam Singh Yadav Ji, and husband of Smt. Aparna Yadav Ji, Vice-Chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh State Women's Commission, is extremely heartbreaking. Humble tribute," Adityanath posted on X.

"My condolences are with the bereaved family. I pray to Lord Shri Ram that the departed soul attains eternal peace and the grieving family is granted the strength to bear this immense sorrow. Om Shanti!" he added.

"I am at the hospital right now. This is not the time," Aman Bisht, Prateek's brother-in-law, told PTI on the phone.

Some youths who were seen with the body at the civil hospital, nearly a kilometre from Prateek's residence, said they rushed Prateek to the hospital around 5.10 am, and he was officially declared dead around 6 am.

A panel of doctors is due to perform an autopsy.

Civil Hospital director Dr GC Gupta told PTI that Prateek was brought dead to the facility.

"We ran the necessary SOPs, and after confirmation, we informed senior officials and police," Dr Gupta said.

Asked about his reported remark to local media about "suspected poisoning" in the case, Dr Gupta said, "Only a postmortem would confirm the exact cause of death. So beforehand, even in case of any suspicion, it won't be right to say anything till a postmortem is done."

The doctor told PTI that around 5.30 am, a driver from Prateek's residence had come to the hospital seeking some help. An Emergency Medical Officer visited his residence and brought him to the hospital, he said.

Asked about reports making rounds that Prateek was found unconscious inside the kitchen by EMO, Dr Gupta said, "Various things are being said, but I can't say anything for sure."

Prateek's wife, Aparna Bisht Yadav, was apparently not at home at the time. Some supporters of the Yadav family, who started gathering outside Prateek's Vikramaditya Marg home, said that she was out of Uttar Pradesh and was rushing to Lucknow.

Prateek was also known to be an animal lover and supported many animal shelters.

On January 19 this year, Prateek openly accused his wife of ruining his family ties and said he would seek a divorce from her at the earliest.

In a lengthy post on his Instagram account (iamprateekyadav), the late politician's son described Aparna Yadav as a "family destroyer" and accused her of being "self-centred" and "driven by fame and influence."

However, on January 28, he announced reconciliation with his wife.

In a video he posted on Instagram, Prateek said, "On January 19, I had a serious dispute with my wife Aparna, following which I made two posts on social media. However, the matter has now been resolved mutually after discussions, and there is no longer any dispute between us."

He also posted a caption in the video: "Haters, go to hell." In another post, he posted a video with Aparna.

(With PTI inputs)