Tragic Irony! Haryanvi singer Ankit Baliyan’s murder chillingly mirrors his own song ‘Bhari Court Mein...’

In an eerie coincidence, Haryanvi singer and YouTuber Ankit Baliyan was shot dead by unidentified assailants outside a gym in Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli on Wednesday — chillingly mirroring his hit song Bhari Court Mein Goli Maarenge Meri Jaan.

For the past few years, Balyan, a native of Bantikhera village in Shamli, lived in Haryana's Rohtak and Sonipat to pursue his singing and acting career. He was reported to be a regular at the Shamli gym.

News agency PTI reported speculation of rife over Balyan's plan to contest the upcoming panchayat polls. However, there is no official confirmation from authorities or his associates immediately on it, and if that could be the reason behind his killing.

Here's what happened:

Ankit Balyan was returning from the gym early in the morning when the assailants opened fire at him, killing the singer on the spot.

“He was returning from a gym at around 6:45 pm when four unidentified men travelling in two vehicles arrived and opened fire at him,” the police said, adding that the assailants arrived on two motorcycles and opened fire at Balyan.

According to an India Today report, the assailants fired approximately 20 rounds at the singer, inflicting multiple bullet wounds, including a fatal gunshot injury to the head.

Superintendent of Police M P Singh told reporters that police rushed to the spot after receiving information about the shooting.

“The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination, and an investigation is underway. Police teams have been formed to arrest the accused,” he said.

Police are examining CCTV footage from the area to identify the attackers, officials said.

Murder mirrors his song ‘Bhari Court Mein...’

Ankit Baliyan, a YouTuber with over 3.66 lakh subscribers, built his digital brand around hyper-local Haryanvi pop music, podcasts, and portrayals of regional swagger. His videos heavily featured themes of rural grit, local politics, and youth bravado, often relying on law-and-order tropes and gun culture.

As a creator and producer, he collaborated with well-known playback singers like Masoom Sharma, Raju Punjabi, and Aashu Twinkle. He also expanded his reach through political podcasts and vlogs, interviewing community figures across UP and Haryana.

His musical repertoire included hits like 112 NE, Goli Ke Barood, Agla Janam Jaat, Savidhan, and System.

However, the most unsettling footnote to his career is Bhari Court Mein Goli Maarenge Meri Jaan. The song, revolving around public gun violence, became an eerie real-life parallel when Baliyan was fatally shot in a barrage of bullets outside his gym.

He reportedly posted a video singing “Murder maar de sadak ke upar…” just an hour before his murder.

The interest in ‘murder’ was high on Google during 25-26 August:

Akhilesh Yadav condemns attack on ‘Jats’

Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav termed Balyan's killing "highly condemnable", saying the "law and order" situation had been reduced to "zero" and demanded an investigation into possible political rivalry.

"The way popular singer Ankit Balyan was brutally murdered in Shamli by firing 18 rounds, reducing Uttar Pradesh's law and order to zero, has created fear throughout the region," the SP chief said in a post on X, along with a news clip image.

Yadav said the Jat community had raised its demand for the immediate arrest of the attackers. “The entire Jat community of Uttar Pradesh is angry and considers this an attack on itself,” he said.

Yadav also said there were demands that the murder be investigated from the angle of political rivalry. “Highly condemnable!” he said of the incident.