SHAMLI: The wife of slain Haryanvi singer and YouTuber Ankit Baliyan has appealed to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath to ensure the arrest of his killers, saying she and her family would otherwise resort to self-immolation outside the CM’s residence.In a video message, Baliyan’s wife questioned why the attackers had not yet been arrested despite allegedly releasing videos and audio recordings after the killing.“I request the administration to keep this in mind and provide us with justice as soon as possible. Why haven’t these people been caught yet? They are releasing video and audio and they haven’t been caught yet. And the day the bullets were fired, they ran away from here.”She also questioned how the assailants managed to escape despite their faces being visible and allegedly not wearing helmets.“They had no helmet, nothing. Their faces were visible. How did they leave the city? Where did the police go? Sir, I request Mr. Yogi to either catch their killer or our entire family will come in front of the CM’s house and self immolation.”Describing the impact of Baliyan’s killing on the family, she said he was their sole breadwinner and that his elderly parents and unemployed younger brother were now left without support.“We have no hope of survival. Nothing is left. He was the only family member. He has a younger brother who is unemployed. The whole family was dependent on him. He has old parents. Who will take care of all of them?”She said the family’s home had also been left devastated following his death and recalled his work for society.“Our house was looted and destroyed. He was doing all this for entertainment and for the society. He was martyred for all this. There should be some road, school or something in his name. He only gave to the society. He didn’t take anything. Because of this, he lost his life.”The singer’s wife also urged the chief minister to ensure that Baliyan’s contribution to the community was remembered.“So I request Mr. Yogi to please catch him soon. He should be remembered. He used to think a lot about the society. You can ask anyone in the village. He has helped everyone.”Baliyan was shot dead outside a gym in Shamli on Wednesday evening. CCTV footage showed four armed assailants arriving on two motorcycles and opening fire on him around 6.45pm in the Kotwali area.Police and eyewitness accounts said Baliyan attempted to move towards the co-driver’s side of his Scorpio SUV as the attackers fired at him. The assailants allegedly opened the vehicle door and fired at close range.Baliyan was rushed to a nearby community health centre, where he was declared dead.Investigators are examining a possible gang-war angle after a social media post purportedly linked to Bholu Shahpuriya, who is allegedly associated with the Gogi gang, claimed responsibility for the killing. Police have not yet established the authenticity of the post or the gang-war theory as the motive.Baliyan’s family has also been demanding the immediate arrest of the attackers. Following the killing, relatives and supporters had blocked the Delhi-Muzaffarnagar Road near the shooting site.His father Satveer Singh had earlier said, “My son had no enmity with anyone. Whatever work he had was in Haryana. We want nothing except the arrest of the killers.”Baliyan’s last rites were performed at his native village Bantikheda after the post-mortem on Thursday. The murder has also triggered a political row, with opposition leaders targeting the Uttar Pradesh government over law and order.Police are continuing to examine CCTV footage, social media activity and possible links to Haryana to identify the attackers and establish the motive behind the killing.(With agency inputs)
