Who Was Ankit Baliyan? Haryanvi Singer Shot Dead Outside Gym

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Ankit Baliyan had just finished his evening gym session in Shamli, Uttar Pradesh, when he walked towards his car on Wednesday. He never reached it. Three to four assailants opened fire, letting off nearly 20 rounds in under two minutes, and by the time he was rushed to hospital, doctors could only pronounce him dead on arrival.

Photo Credit: Instagram: @ankiitbaliyann

The killing of the 35-year-old Haryanvi singer and YouTuber has left the regional entertainment industry in shock, and turned a routine question: "Who is Ankit Baliyan," into one of the most searched names in Haryanvi music circles this week.

A Voice From Bantikhera That Travelled Across Haryana

Baliyan belonged to Bantikhera village in Shamli district, but it was in Haryana, particularly around Rohtak and Sonipat, that he built the bulk of his career. He worked as a singer, actor, songwriter, and composer, carving out a space in an industry crowded with regional talent by leaning into hyper-local themes, swagger-driven visuals, and a heavy YouTube presence built on music videos and podcasts.

His breakout moment came with the song "Bhari Court Mein Goli Marenge Meri Jaan," which pulled in millions of views and made him a recognisable name well beyond Shamli. Tracks like "Ek Khatola Jail Ke Bheetar" and "Jaat Jaatni" followed, and he went on to collaborate with established names in Haryanvi music, including singer Masoom Sharma.

Away from the studio, Baliyan had reportedly started edging towards local politics, with several reports suggesting he was preparing to contest the upcoming district panchayat elections. Neither police nor his associates have officially confirmed whether this had any bearing on his murder.

The Shooting Outside The Gym

According to Superintendent of Police M P Singh, police rushed to the scene the moment they received word of the shooting in the Kotwali police station area of Shamli. The attackers, who arrived on motorcycles, opened indiscriminate fire as Baliyan stepped out of the gym and moved towards his vehicle. Around eight bullets struck him directly, while five more hit his car, according to local reports.

"The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination, and an investigation is underway. Police teams have been formed to arrest the accused," Singh told reporters.

The attack triggered immediate outrage in the area. Enraged residents blocked the road near Verma Market in protest, while Baliyan's family has demanded swift arrests. Police are now combing through CCTV footage from around the gym and the surrounding market to identify the shooters, though no arrests had been made at the time of writing.

An Industry That Keeps Losing Its Voices

Baliyan's killing lands in a Haryanvi and Punjabi music scene that has grown grimly familiar with gang-linked violence against its artists, from the 2021 killing of singer Harshita Dhaiya to the high-profile murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala the following year. Whether Baliyan's death fits that pattern, or stems from a personal or political rivalry tied to his panchayat ambitions, is something investigators have yet to establish.

Bottomline

Ankit Baliyan spent his career giving Haryana's small towns a soundtrack of their own, singing about courtrooms and jail cells in songs that now read uncomfortably close to how his life ended. Until police trace the men who fired those 20 rounds outside a Shamli gym, the question of why remains as open as the case itself.