Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s younger stepbrother, Prateek Yadav, was cremated here on Thursday afternoon.
The deceased’s father-in-law, Arvind Singh Bisht, lit the pyre in the presence of family members and SP and BJP leaders.
Prateek’s wife, Aparna, is the vice-president of the state women’s commission and a senior BJP leader.
Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav were also present at the Bhaisakubd crematorium and they placed wood on Prateek’s pyre and offered their condolences.
Prateek’s two minor daughters were also present at the cremation ground and they also placed wood on their father’s pyre.
Earlier, during Prateek’s funeral procession, thousands of supporters walked along, chanting “Prateek Yadav Amar Rahe.”
Prateek was an animal lover. A picture of him with dogs and a monkey was placed on the hearse.
Earlier in the morning, Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak reached Prateek’s residence and paid their last respects. Shivpal and Dimple Yadav also paid their last respects. Aparna sat with her two daughters near Prateek’s body the entire night.
Prateek died early Wednesday morning. He was around 38. The postmortem report stated the cause of death as cardiac arrest. Six injury marks were also found on Prateek’s body. Three of these injuries were seven days old, and three were one day old. His viscera have been preserved.
Prateek was the son of Mulayam Yadav’s second wife, Sadhna Gupta. According to doctors, Prateek suffered from a serious lung condition called pulmonary embolism, a condition in which a blood clot becomes lodged in the lungs, blocking blood circulation.
Prateek suffered two heart attacks within 13 days. Previously, on April 30, he collapsed while walking at the Lucknow Airport.