Prateek Yadav death: Akhilesh Yadav's stepbrother died of cardiorespiratory collapse, reveals postmortem report

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav was among those who expressed their shock at the death. Aparna Bisht Yadav, his wife, is a BJP member and is currently the vice chairperson of the State Women Commission.

"The demise of Shri Pratik Yadav Ji is extremely heartbreaking! May God grant peace to the departed soul. Humble tribute!" the Samajwadi Party said in a brief post on X.

Prateek was the son of Mulayam Singh Yadav and his second wife, Sadhna Gupta. He was around 16 when the two got married.

Aman Bisht, Prateek's brother-in-law, was at the hospital.

What did the postmortem report reveal?

The Postmortem Report from King George's Medical University in Lucknow of Prateek Yadav lists cardiorespiratory collapse due to massive pulmonary thromboembolism as the cause of death, mentioning six “antemortem” (before death) injuries found on his body.

The report says, “However, whole heart & pulmonary thromboembolic material preserved in Formalin for histopathological examination and viscera preserved for chemical analysis handed over to the CP concerned.”

See the postmortem report here:

What is Cardiorespiratory collapse and PTE?

Cardiorespiratory collapse means the heart and lungs have stopped functioning suddenly. In simple terms, the person’s breathing and circulation failed, leading to death.

Massive pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) is the main cause mentioned. It happens when a large blood clot blocks the arteries in the lungs. A clot usually forms in the legs (deep vein thrombosis) or elsewhere in the body

It then travels to the lungs, and if it blocks a major vessel, blood cannot reach the lungs properly. This causes sudden breathlessness, low oxygen, collapse, and cardiac arrest

A “massive” PTE means the blockage was large enough to be rapidly fatal.

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.

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.

The doctor told PTI that around 5.30 am, a driver from Prateek's residence came to the hospital seeking 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 was apparently not at home at the time and out of state. Scores of supporters of the Yadav family gathered outside Prateek's Vikramaditya Marg home.

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 shared a video with Aparna.

Later on Wednesday, Prateek's body was shifted to the King George's Medical University (KGMU), where a panel of doctors conducted the autopsy. A sombre-looking Akhilesh Yadav also reached KGMU while the postmortem was underway.

After the autopsy, the body was taken from the KGMU to Prateek and Aparna Yadav's residence at 8/11 Vikramaditya Marg. Supporters of both the BJP and the Samajwadi Party gathered outside the house as police tightened security in the area and put up barricades.

The nameplate outside the residence bore the names 'Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav', 'Smt Sadhna Yadav', 'Prateek Yadav', 'Aparna Yadav', and 'Shine and Blush' (the daughters).

Who was Prateek Yadav?

Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav's younger son and BJP leader Aparna Yadav's husband, Prateek Yadav, passed away at Lucknow's civil hospital this morning.

Prateek Yadav, the stepbrother of Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav, was brought to the hospital by his family members on Wednesday morning, where he was declared dead.

Prateek was the son of Sadhna Gupta, the second wife of Mulayam Singh Yadav. Despite being from Uttar Pradesh's most prominent political family, he largely stayed away from politics and focused on business and fitness ventures in Lucknow.

Prateek Yadav married Aparna Yadav in 2011. She has remained politically active over the years. She contested the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections from Lucknow Cantt on a Samajwadi Party ticket but lost to Rita Bahuguna Joshi.

She later joined the BJP in 2022 and was appointed vice-chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh State Women's Commission in 2024.

(With inputs from agencies)