At Prateek Yadav’s funeral, Akhilesh Yadav comforted his young niece Padmaja with a chocolate. The brief exchange, captured on video, came to symbolise a human moment amid the family’s public grief.
In the midst of sorrow, prayers and final farewells at Prateek Yadav’s funeral on Thursday, a small moment between Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and his five-year-old niece briefly softened the atmosphere of grief, and later touched many online.
Prateek Yadav, the younger son of late Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, died on May 13 at the age of 38 following cardiac and lung-related complications, including pulmonary embolism, doctors said.
His funeral at Baikunth Dham drew a large gathering of political leaders, relatives, supporters and well-wishers from across Uttar Pradesh. The sombre ceremony reflected not only the passing of a member of one of the state’s most influential political families, but also the deeply personal loss felt within the Yadav household.
Among those seated under a temporary shed at the crematorium were Akhilesh Yadav, senior Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Singh Yadav, Prateek’s wife Aparna Yadav, and the couple’s daughters, 12-year-old Prathama and five-year-old Padmaja.
As rituals continued, Padmaja, visibly exhausted after the long day, sat quietly beside Akhilesh. At one point, the SP chief handed her a chocolate in an understated attempt to comfort the child amid the emotionally draining ceremony. When the young girl struggled to open the wrapper, she gently turned to him for help. Akhilesh opened it for her and handed it back. The child thanked him softly before taking the chocolate.
For a fleeting moment, the little girl’s face brightened.
Videos capturing the exchange soon spread across social media platforms, where many users described the interaction as heartbreaking yet deeply human, a rare glimpse of tenderness amid public mourning.
The funeral also brought together several members of the extended Yadav family, including Dharmendra Yadav and Akshay Yadav, along with Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak and ministers Daya Shankar Singh and Dinesh Pratap Singh.
Though born into a powerful political family, Prateek Yadav had largely remained away from active politics. Friends and acquaintances described him as reserved, courteous and focused on his business interests. He was also known among close circles for his passion for fitness, luxury cars, motorcycles and animals.
In recent days, older videos of Prateek attending family gatherings with Aparna Yadav have resurfaced online, with many social media users recalling his warm interactions with relatives and friends.
Speaking to reporters earlier at King George’s Medical University, Akhilesh Yadav remembered his half-brother as “a very good young man” whom he had known since childhood.
