Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav expressed ‘great sorrow’ over the death of his stepbrother, Prateek Yadav, recalling that he was always very “health conscious”.

Prateek Yadav, stepson of SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and husband of BJP leader Aparna Yadav, died at the age of 38 early on Wednesday morning at Lucknow's Civil Hospital in Uttar Pradesh. Hospital director Dr GP Gupta said they received information that Prateek was unwell around 5am. Follow Prateek Yadav death news updates
Though a team of doctors rushed to Prateek's residence and he was subsequently brought to the hospital due to his critical condition, he was declared dead at 5:55am, HT reported earlier. Gupta said that the exact cause of Prateek Yadav's death would only be known after an autopsy. Later, a panel of four doctors reportedly carried out the postmortem examination.
Akhilesh Yadav also reached the hospital, where Prateek's autopsy was being conducted.
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Speaking to reporters outside the hospital, the SP chief condoled Prateek's death, saying the two have known each other since childhood, adding that his demise is a matter of great sorrow. Akhilesh Yadav recalled that his stepbrother was very conscious of his health since the very beginning.
‘Financial losses can break a person’
“I have known him since childhood. He is no longer amongst us; it is a matter of great sorrow. Right from his childhood, he was very conscious of his health, his physical well-being and he aspired to move forward in life and make a meaningful contribution," Akhilesh Yadav said.
{{/usCountry}}“I have known him since childhood. He is no longer amongst us; it is a matter of great sorrow. Right from his childhood, he was very conscious of his health, his physical well-being and he aspired to move forward in life and make a meaningful contribution," Akhilesh Yadav said.
{{/usCountry}}“Naturally, we will proceed in accordance with the law, whatever legal provisions dictate, and whatever the family members request, we will abide by that,” Yadav added.
Akhilesh Yadav further said that he can't do anything about the reality, and said that he had met Prateek just around two months ago. “Even at that time, I had told him to take care of his health and focus on expanding his business. Sometimes, financial losses in business can break a person emotionally. He is no longer among us. We will do whatever the family decides,” the SP chief added.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath also condoled the demise of Prateek Yadav, saying that it is "extremely heartbreaking".
In a post on X, Adityanath said he would pray to God for the departed soul to attain eternal peace and strength for the grieving family.