Indian singer and YouTuber Ankiit Baliyan was shot dead outside a gym in northern India after a social media post allegedly belonging to a gang member claimed he had composed a song about the killing of its leader.Baliyan was killed on Wednesday evening in Shamli, a city in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about 100km north-east of the capital New Delhi, according to The Times of India. Police said three to four unidentified attackers arrived on two motorcycles and opened fire on him as he left a gym in the city’s Kotwali area.He suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to a nearby community health centre, where doctors were unable to save him.Shamli’s superintendent of police, NP Singh, said several teams had been formed to identify and arrest those responsible and establish the motive. Police were examining CCTV footage from the gym and surrounding area, while teams were also sent to Haryana, where he had been working.Police said the attackers fled after the shooting, and no arrests had been announced as of Thursday morning.Indian singer Ankiit Baliyan was shot dead outside a gym in northern India after a social media post allegedly belonging to a gang member claimed he had composed a song about the killing of its leader (Ankiit Baliyann/Instagram)However, an Instagram post from a man identifying himself as Bholu Shahpuria, who claimed to belong to the Gogi gang, said the group was responsible for the killing. The gang is named after Delhi gangster Jitender Maan, alias Gogi, who was shot dead by members of a rival gang inside a courtroom in the capital in 2021. Gogi’s organisation has continued to operate since his death and has been connected by police to crimes including murder and extortion.In the post, Shahpuria alleged that Baliyan had sided with the gang’s rivals and had composed a song based on Gogi’s killing. Mr Singh told ANI that police were investigating the social media post to establish whether it was genuine and whether an old dispute involving the Gogi gang could be connected to Baliyan’s death.Baliyan was originally from Bantikhera, a village in Shamli district, but had lived and worked in the neighbouring state of Haryana, including in the cities of Rohtak and Sonipat, while building his music career. His YouTube channel, where he posted music videos and other content, had more than 367,000 subscribers. He also appeared in podcasts with local political and farming figures, including farmer leader Rakesh Tikait. Baliyan was a prominent figure in the contemporary Haryanvi music scene, a regional industry whose songs are primarily performed in Haryanvi, widely spoken in Haryana and parts of neighbouring northern Indian states. His music played heavily on themes of rural pride and masculine bravado, with guns, power and local rivalries featuring prominently in his songs and videos. One of his songs with more than 54 million views on YouTube – “Bhari Court Mein Goli Marenge Meri Jaan (We will shoot you in a packed court, my love)” – has become an unsettling detail in the story of his death. He was reportedly preparing to contest a forthcoming district panchayat election.The attack has led to major protests in Shamli, and Baliyan’s family and supporters blocked the Delhi-Muzaffarnagar road near Verma Market Tiraha, about 50m from the crime scene, demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible. His father, Satbir Singh, told the media after his son’s death: “I want the man who killed him. I don’t want anything else. The protest will continue.” Mr Singh also said his son had no connection with anyone that could explain why he had been targeted, according to IANS.A relative told ANI that the family did not know who the attackers were, saying: “To this day, we still don’t know who they were or how it happened; we are completely in the dark.”Police have not yet established a motive and are continuing to investigate the alleged Gogi gang claim, CCTV footage, possible old rivalries, and Baliyan’s connections in Haryana.