Two men suspected of being involved in the killing of Haryanvi singer and YouTuber Ankit Balyan have been killed in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Police in Shamli, officials said. The suspects were identified as Sumit and Mohit.
Balyan was shot dead outside his gym in Shamli on August 26. According to the police, four attackers riding two motorcycles opened fire on him. He suffered critical injuries and was taken to a community health centre, where doctors declared him dead. Two other suspects in the case are still absconding.
A CCTV video of the incident later surfaced on social media. The footage purportedly showed Balyan leaving his gym and heading towards his car when the attackers approached and opened fire. The shooters reportedly fired at least 16 rounds during the attack.
Hours after the killing, a man identifying himself as Bholu Shahpuri from Sonipat, Haryana, claimed that the Gogi gang was behind Balyan's murder.
The case also drew political reactions, with the Samajwadi Party and Congress targeting the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government over the state's law-and-order situation.
On Saturday, senior police officers met Balyan's family after his wife threatened to immolate herself outside the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister's residence if the killers were not arrested within four days.
The development came amid growing pressure on police to identify and apprehend those responsible for the murder.
Hours before he was killed, Balyan had posted an Instagram video in which he was seen sitting in his car and singing lines from his song 'Baby Badmash', released last month.
One of the lines he sang was "Murder maar de sadak ke upar", referring to a murder on the road.
Balyan, who was from Shamli, had built a substantial following online, with more than five lakh followers on Instagram and over three lakh YouTube subscribers.
His popular tracks included 'Bhari Court Mein Goli Marenge', 'Body Builder', 'PTI' and 'Ek Khtola Jail Ke Bhitar'. His music frequently featured themes involving guns, fights, SUVs, rivalry and violence.
Before entering the music industry, Balyan was a state-level kabaddi player. His brother told reporters that he competed at the state level until 2013-14 and took part in tournaments in Delhi, Bhopal and other locations.
He later left the sport after suffering a leg fracture and joined a gym.
Around 2022, he began pursuing his interest in Haryanvi music. He subsequently worked on more than 50 songs in various capacities, including singer, lyricist and music composer.
