Haryanvi singer Ankit Balyan shot dead in UP’s Shamli, Akhilesh Yadav flags ‘Jat’ angle

Haryanvi singer and YouTuber Ankit Balyan was shot dead outside a gym in Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli district on Wednesday evening. According to the Meerut ADG Bhanu Bhaskar, Balyan had just stepped out of the gym in the Kotwali police station area when two unidentified assailants opened fire at him.

Police said several rounds were fired and Balyan died at the spot. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav condemned the attack, saying that Uttar Pradesh’s law-and-order situation had been reduced to “zero”. He also called for a probe into a possible political rivalry and called the killing as an attack on the Jat community.

उप्र की क़ानून-व्यवस्था को शून्य करते हुए जिस प्रकार शामली में लोकप्रिय गायक अंकित बालियान की 18 राउंड गोलियां चलाकर बेरहमी से हत्या की गई है उससे पूरे क्षेत्र में भय व्याप्त हो गया है। मृतक की दुखी माँ के द्वारा अपने बेटे के शव को गोद में रखकर सड़क पर ही शोकाकुल होने का समाचार… pic.twitter.com/86Jldfo63k — Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) August 26, 2026 Yadav claimed that 18 rounds were fired at Balyan and said the incident had created fear across the region.

He further demanded that investigators examine the possibility of political rivalry behind the murder. According to the PTI reports, there was speculation that Balyan was preparing to contest the upcoming panchayat elections.

However, there was no immediate official confirmation that he intended to enter electoral politics or that his alleged plans were connected to the killing. Shamli Superintendent of Police M P Singh said police teams had been formed to identify and arrest the attackers.

The body has been sent for post-mortem, while CCTV footage from the area is being examined to trace the assailants. Balyan had built a sizeable online following, with more than 3.66 lakh YouTube subscribers. His videos featured him as a singer and with many collaborators, making him a familiar face among his audience.

Several of his videos also featured guns, firearms and SUVs, adding to the public interest surrounding his persona following the killing. Police have not found any connection between his online content and the shooting. The police are, however, yet to find a clear motive.

Calling the reports of Balyan’s mother grieving on the road with her son’s body in her lap “heart-wrenching”, Yadav said members of the Jat community were demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible for the killing.