Akhilesh Yadav targets UP government over singer Ankit Balyan's killing in Shamli
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday criticised the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government over the killing of Haryanvi singer and YouTuber Ankit Balyan in Shamli, saying the "entire Jat community" was demanding answers from Jat leaders aligned with the ruling BJP.
According to police, Balyan, a resident of Banti Kheda village in Shamli, was shot dead by four unidentified assailants while leaving a gym in the Kotwali area around 6.45 pm on Wednesday. The attackers, riding two motorcycles, opened fire on him before fleeing the scene. A murder case has been registered based on a complaint filed by his father, Satvir Singh.
In a post on X, Yadav urged Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to pay attention to the "anger prevailing in the Jat community" and to the "grieving father" of Balyan.
Yadav also drew a comparison to a recent fire incident in Lucknow, alleging that the chief minister had told a grieving mother he was "not in the mood to listen to a speech."
"Will the chief minister listen to the anger prevailing in the Jat community and the 'grieving father' of popular young singer Ankit Balyan, or will he too walk away in a threatening manner, saying he is 'not in the mood to listen to a speech', like the 'grieving mother' of the child killed in the Lucknow fire?" Yadav said.
The SP chief alleged that the BJP was "related only to votes" and "not to the Jat community or any other social group."
"Today, the entire Jat community is seeking answers from those Jat leaders who are standing with the BJP for their own interests," he said, questioning "where have the BJP's Jat allies gone?"
"Young Jats are searching for them today," Yadav added, in an indirect reference to Union minister Jayant Chaudhary, chief of NDA ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and a prominent Jat leader from western UP.
The case took a fresh turn after a person claiming to be from Sonipat and linked to the Gogi gang allegedly claimed responsibility for the killing in a social media post.
Police have not verified the authenticity of this claim and have dispatched four teams to Haryana to investigate it and follow up on leads.
According to police, they have gathered "several clues" but will reveal further details only at an appropriate time.
Balyan had made a name for himself in the Haryanvi music industry after stepping away from state-level kabaddi due to a leg injury. Since around 2022, he had worked as a singer, lyricist and composer on more than 50 songs. His track "Bhari Court Mein Goli Marenge" had crossed five crore views on YouTube.
His killing sparked protests in Shamli, with his family and supporters blocking a road to demand the immediate arrest of those responsible. The blockade was later lifted, and his last rites were performed in his native village on Thursday. (with inputs from PTI)
