LUCKNOW: Prateek Yadav, the step-brother of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and husband of BJP leader Aparna Yadav, died in Lucknow on Wednesday morning under mysterious circumstances. He was 38. According to hospital officials, Prateek was brought to the Civil Hospital in Lucknow at around 6 am by Aparna Yadav’s brother, Aman Singh Bisht. Doctors declared him dead on arrival. Civil Hospital CMS Dr D.C. Pandey said that when Prateek was brought to the hospital, his pulse had completely dropped and his heart had stopped functioning. The exact cause of death is yet to be determined. His body has been sent to King George’s Medical University (KGMU) for postmortem examination. Officials said an X-ray of the chest was conducted before the autopsy. A medical team led by Dr Mausami Singh is carrying out the postmortem. Heavy police deployment was seen outside the postmortem house, while Aman Singh Bisht remained present there. Sources said Prateek had earlier been admitted to a private hospital in Lucknow on April 30 after his health deteriorated. After showing signs of recovery three days later, he reportedly returned home without formally being discharged from the hospital. At the time of the incident, Aparna Yadav was in Assam and immediately left for Lucknow after receiving information about her husband’s death. Prateek Yadav was the son of late Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and his second wife, Sadhna Gupta. Despite belonging to one of Uttar Pradesh’s most influential political families, Prateek largely stayed away from active politics. Educated at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, Prateek was involved in the fitness and real estate businesses. He owned a gym in Lucknow named “The Fitness Planet” and also ran an animal welfare organisation called “Jeev Ashray”, which worked for the rescue, treatment, feeding, and care of stray dogs. Prateek and Aparna Yadav married in December 2011 in Saifai, Etawah, in a high-profile ceremony attended by several prominent personalities, including Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan. The couple had known each other since 2001 after meeting at a birthday party and later stayed in touch through emails. They have two daughters. Earlier this year, the couple briefly hit headlines after Prateek publicly announced plans to seek divorce from Aparna Yadav on January 19, alleging personal differences. However, the dispute was resolved within nine days. In February, Prateek shared a social media post with Aparna stating, “All is Good,” and the couple was later seen celebrating their daughter’s birthday together in the presence of several BJP leaders. Meanwhile, condolences poured in from political circles after the news of Prateek’s death emerged. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the demise, while the Samajwadi Party also mourned his passing. Police and medical authorities said further details regarding the cause of death will become clear after the postmortem report is received.
