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New Delhi: Two men allegedly involved in the killing of Haryanvi singer and YouTuber Ankit Balyan were shot dead in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Police in Shamli, officials said.

The deceased suspects were identified as Sumit, 24, and Mohit, 22. Both were from Sonipat in Haryana and were allegedly linked to the Gogi gang, police said. A reward of Rs 50,000 had been announced for information leading to the arrest of each of them.

According to the police, 14 cases had been registered against Mohit in Haryana, while Sumit had one criminal case against him, as reported by NDTV.

Balyan was killed outside a gym in Shamli on August 26. Four armed men riding two motorcycles had allegedly attacked him before escaping from the scene.

Footage of the incident, which later circulated on social media, showed Balyan leaving the gym and heading towards his car. The assailants then moved towards him and fired at least 16 rounds.

A day after the murder, an individual claiming to represent the Gogi gang uploaded a social media post taking responsibility for the attack.

The remaining two suspects in the case have not yet been arrested and are believed to be on the run.

The police action came shortly after Balyan’s wife warned that she would immolate herself outside the residence of the Uttar Pradesh chief minister if the killers were not arrested within four days. Senior police officers met the family on Saturday.

The murder also became a political issue, with the Samajwadi Party and the Congress attacking the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government over what they described as the deteriorating law-and-order situation in the state.

Singer’s Final Song
On the day he was killed, Balyan had shared an Instagram video in which he sang portions of his recently released track Baby Badmash while sitting inside his car.

The video included the line, “Murder maar de sadak ke upar (murder on the road).” The song had been released the previous month.

Balyan, who lived in Shamli, had built a substantial online following. He had more than five lakh followers on Instagram and over three lakh subscribers on YouTube.

Among his better-known songs were Bhari Court Mein Goli Marenge, Body Builder, PTI and Ek Khtola Jail Ke Bhitar.

His songs often revolved around firearms, confrontations and luxury SUVs. Several of his tracks also contained references to violence, rivalry and resistance.

From Kabaddi To Music
Before entering the music industry, Balyan had played kabaddi at the state level. His brother told reporters that he continued playing until 2013-14 and took part in tournaments held in Delhi, Bhopal and other cities.

He was forced to give up the sport after sustaining a fracture in his leg. He subsequently joined a gym.

Balyan began pursuing his passion for Haryanvi music professionally around 2022 and went on to work on more than 50 songs as a singer, lyricist and music composer.