Prateek Yadav, Mulayam Singh's younger son and Akhilesh's half-brother, dies at 38

PRATEED Yadav, the younger son of late Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav and half-brother of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, died on Wednesday in Lucknow, sources said. He was 38 years old and married to BJP leader Aparna Yadav. According to sources, Prateek was brought to Lucknow’s Civil Hospital at around 6 am on Wednesday for treatment, where doctors declared him dead.

Hospital officials later said that Prateek showed no signs of life when he was brought in, with no pulse and fixed, dilated pupils. Sources said only members of his household staff were accompanying him when he was taken to the hospital.

Sources added that Prateek Yadav had been unwell for some time. A few weeks ago, he was admitted to a private hospital in Lucknow, where Akhilesh Yadav had also visited him. After his condition showed some improvement, he was brought back home.

Following his death, Prateek Yadav’s body was shifted to the postmortem house at King George's Medical University (KGMU), where a panel of doctors conducted the autopsy under videography surveillance.

The Samajwadi Party condoled his death in a post on X, saying, “The passing of Prateek Yadav is deeply saddening. May God grant peace to the departed soul.”

Akhilesh Yadav also mourned the death of his half-brother in a post on X. He prayed for peace to the departed soul and paid tributes to Prateek Yadav.

Following his death, Prateek Yadav’s body was shifted to the postmortem house at King George's Medical University (KGMU), where a panel of doctors conducted the autopsy under videography surveillance.

Sources said the postmortem process lasted around 45 minutes to an hour as a senior KGMU doctor supervised the proceedings. Officials also carried out videography of the entire process.

Meanwhile, Aman Bisht, Aparna Yadav’s brother, reached the postmortem house along with other family members. Heavy security deployment had also been made at the spot, with police personnel stationed around the mortuary premises.

Akhilesh Yadav later visited the postmortem centre during the proceedings and met doctors directly. Speaking to reporters after coming out, the SP chief described Prateek as “a very good person” who remained focused on his business and health.

He added that financial losses in business can sometimes affect a person mentally, hinting at possible stress Prateek may have been facing in recent times.

Recalling his last meeting with Prateek around two months ago, Akhilesh said he had advised him to focus on his business. He added that the family would proceed according to legal procedures and collective family decisions.

Despite belonging to one of the country’s most prominent political families, Prateek Yadav largely stayed away from active politics.

Prateek had studied at the University of Leeds, UK, and was associated with real estate and fitness businesses. He also ran a gym called ‘The Fitness Planet’ in Lucknow and remained active in the fitness industry.

He was also involved in animal welfare activities through an organisation named ‘Jeev Ashray’, which worked for the rescue, treatment, feeding and care of stray dogs.

Earlier this year, Prateek Yadav had publicly spoken about differences with his wife, BJP leader Aparna Yadav, before later announcing that the matter had been resolved.

On January 19, Prateek had posted a series of messages on Instagram accusing Aparna Yadav of damaging his family ties and said he would seek a divorce at the earliest. In the posts, he described her as “self-centred” and “driven by fame and influence”.

However, days later, on January 28, Prateek Yadav announced that the dispute had been settled mutually after discussions between the two.

In a video shared on Instagram, he said there was no longer any dispute between them. He also posted another video featuring Aparna Yadav and added the caption: “Haters, go to hell.”

A few months ago, Prateek had also shared photographs on social media showing the family holidaying together. Aparna Yadav is currently the vice-chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh Women’s Commission and is associated with the BJP.

Several political leaders from Uttar Pradesh expressed grief over his demise, including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

The BJP Mahila Morcha also postponed its planned protests in Uttar Pradesh over controversial remarks by a Samajwadi Party MP against Prime Minister Narendra Modi following Prateek Yadav’s death.