Prateek Yadav’s final journey drawsthousands; father-in-law lights pyre

Lucknow: Prateek Yadav, the younger son of late Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, was cremated at Baikunth Dham here on Thursday afternoon in the presence of family members, politicians and thousands of supporters.

The final rites were performed by his father-in-law, Arvind Singh Bisht, who lit the funeral pyre under the supervision of priest Mahendra Sharma. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav paid tribute to his younger brother by placing wood on the pyre and bowing before him. Senior party leader Shivpal Singh Yadav also took part in the rituals.

Prateek’s wife Aparna and daughters, Prathama and Padmaja, were present at the cremation ground and offered wood to their father’s pyre as part of the ceremony. Earlier, his funeral procession began from his Lucknow residence and moved nearly five kilometres to the crematorium, accompanied by a large crowd of supporters raising slogans in his memory.

Aditya Yadav, son of Shivpal Yadav, helped shoulder the bier during the procession. In keeping with tradition, the body was briefly taken near the Samajwadi Party office before the procession continued to Baikunth Dham.

Prateek’s hearse was adorned with photographs showing him with his pet dogs and a monkey, reflecting his affection for animals. The pictures were placed on the vehicle by his wife, Aparna Yadav.

Prateek died on Wednesday morning at the age of 38. The postmortem report said the cause of death was cardiac arrest. Doctors also found six injury marks on his body, with three estimated to be around seven days old and three about a day old. His viscera has been preserved for further examination.