Prateek Yadav, son of Mulayam Singh Yadav, passes away
Lucknow (PTI): Prateek Yadav, the younger son of Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav and a stepbrother of Akhilesh Yadav, died here on Wednesday, sources said.
Prateek, 38, suddenly fell ill and was rushed to the civil hospital in the early hours of the day, but was declared dead at the hospital, the sources said.
Although hailing from a prominent political family, Prateek, a fitness enthusiast, had stayed away from active politics.
However, his wife, Aparna Bisht Yadav, joined the BJP 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.
"I am at the hospital right now. This is not the time," Aman Bisht, Prateek's brother-in-law, told PTI on the phone.
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.
A panel of doctors is due to perform an autopsy.
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.
Asked about his reported remark to local media about "suspected poisoning" in the case, Dr Gupta said, "Only a postmortem would confirm the exact cause of death. So beforehand, even in case of any suspicion, it won't be right to say anything till a postmortem is done."
The doctor told PTI that around 5.30 am, a driver from Prateek's residence had come to the hospital seeking some 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, Aparna Bisht Yadav, was apparently not at home at the time. Some supporters of the Yadav family, who started gathering outside Prateek's Vikramaditya Marg home, said that she was out of Uttar Pradesh and was rushing to Lucknow.
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 posted a video with Aparna.
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Hijab decision taken out of fear of Karnataka Muslim convention, alleges Kumaraswamy
Bengaluru: Union Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy has alleged that the Karnataka government announced its decision on the hijab issue out of fear of the ‘Karnataka Muslim Convention’ scheduled to be held in Bengaluru on May 16 organized by Federation of Karnataka Muslim Organisations.
Addressing a press conference at the JD(S) state office, GP Bhavan, in Bengaluru on Thursday, Kumaraswamy said he respects all religions and has expressed his views on the issue on several public platforms in the past.
Questioning the timing of the government’s move, he said the Congress has been in power for three years and had taken no decision on the hijab issue during that period.
He alleged that the decision was taken only because the ‘Karnataka Muslim Convention’ is scheduled to be held at Town Hall in Bengaluru on May 16.
“If the government had the courage, it should have taken this decision immediately after coming to power. Why did it remain silent for three years?” he asked.
Kumaraswamy accused the Congress of making the announcement to appease a particular community.
He further said the matter is still pending before the courts and claimed that an interim order relating to the hijab issue remains in force.
According to him, issuing such an order before the legal proceedings are concluded amounts to disrespect towards the judiciary.
Kumaraswamy also alleged that the Congress brought the issue back into focus after the Davanagere by-election results.
