A strange silence hung over the streets of UP’s Saifai on Wednesday after the news of Prateek Yadav’s death reached the village closely associated with the family and legacy of late SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav.
The otherwise busy village appeared subdued. Small groups gathered outside homes, tea stalls and near the village square, but conversations remained hushed. People spoke in fragments, often pausing mid-sentence. Many residents were reluctant to speak on camera, with grief and shock clearly visible on their faces.
“No one is able to believe it,” said Ram Phal Valmiki, the Gram Pradhan of Saifai and a childhood friend of Mulayam Singh Yadav. “I have seen Prateek since his childhood. I met him recently during a family wedding and he looked
absolutely fine. We do not know why he left us so soon,” he added.
As the news spread through Saifai, memories of Prateek began surfacing in conversations across the village. Residents remembered him as soft-spoken, polite and deeply attached to the family’s roots in Saifai despite largely staying away from active politics.
Several villagers recalled Prateek’s most recent visit to Saifai in November and December last year when he arrived with his wife, Aparna Yadav, to attend the wedding celebrations of Aryan Yadav, the cousin of Akhilesh Yadav. The couple spent time meeting relatives and greeting villagers during the ceremonies.
Residents particularly remembered a moment that later became widely discussed on social media. During the wedding festivities, Prateek and Aparna were seen touching Akhilesh Yadav’s feet as a mark of respect. The video was later posted by Prateek himself on Instagram and was widely shared among supporters and villagers alike.
“That video is now being watched again by many people here,” said a local resident. “Nobody thought those moments would become memories so soon.”
Older residents of Saifai also recalled the grandeur of Prateek’s own wedding, which had transformed the village into a massive celebration and drawn thousands of visitors from across the country.
More than 50,000 people had reportedly gathered in Saifai to bless Prateek and Aparna during their wedding celebrations. The event became one of the biggest social gatherings the village had witnessed, with roads packed with supporters, political workers and curious visitors.
The wedding also attracted several high-profile guests, including Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, his wife Jaya Bachchan, and businessman Anil Ambani. Villagers still remember the excitement that swept through Saifai as people gathered just to catch a glimpse of the celebrity guests.
Residents recalled how Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan had mingled freely during the ceremonies and participated in the celebrations alongside family members and close friends of the Yadav family.
“It did not feel like only a political family wedding,” said another villager. “The entire village felt involved in the celebrations.”
People also fondly remembered the unique arrangements during the wedding festivities. One section of the venue hosted ghazal performances featuring timeless classics, while another had a folk music troupe entertaining guests late into the night. Villagers said the atmosphere reflected both the grandeur and cultural roots of the Yadav family.
On Wednesday, however, the same village wore a deserted look.
Many shops remained partially shut, and people quietly moved in and out of homes discussing the tragedy. Though political leaders and relatives continued arriving, ordinary villagers appeared more interested in remembering Prateek as someone they had seen grow up among them rather than as the son of a powerful political family.
“He always greeted people politely,” Ram Phal Valmiki said. “For us, he was not just Mulayam Singh Yadav’s son. He was our own child from Saifai,” he further added.
