Ankit Baliyan Murder Explained: Why is the Gogi Gang Claim Under Police Scanner?

Ankit Baliyan spent years turning guns, courtrooms, SUVs and rural bravado into Haryanvi pop spectacle.

On Wednesday evening, the gunfire escaped the screen. Baliyan was leaving a gym in Shamli when several attackers opened fire at close range. He was rushed to a community health centre but could not be saved. The assailants fled, leaving police to reconstruct the killing through CCTV footage, mobile data, ballistics and movements across the Uttar Pradesh-Haryana border.

Then came a social media post. The viral message, allegedly issued in the name of the Gogi gang, claimed responsibility and suggested that Baliyan had offended the gang through a song built around a courtroom shooting. The apparent reference was to his biggest hit, Bhari Court Mein Goli Marenge Meri Jaan, and the 2021 murder of gangster Jitendra Gogi inside Delhi’s Rohini court.

The connection is chilling. It is not yet proof. Police have not authenticated the post, established that it originated from an operative of the Gogi gang or confirmed that Baliyan’s music caused his murder. Investigators are also examining personal rivalries, old disputes and his reported plans to contest local elections.

Here is what is known, what the gang claim alleges and why the most dramatic theory may not necessarily be the correct one.

Who was Ankit Baliyan?

Baliyan was a singer, actor, YouTuber and digital creator from Bantikhera village in Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli district. He built much of his career in Haryana, reportedly living and working in Rohtak and Sonipat while establishing himself in the regional music industry. His videos combined Haryanvi pop with familiar markers of the genre: village pride, Jat identity, powerful vehicles, firearms, political swagger and confrontations with authority.

Baliyan reportedly worked with singers, including Masoom Sharma, Raju Punjabi and Aashu Twinkle. His catalogue included 112 NE, Goli Ke Barood, Jaat Jatni, Savidhan, System, Riflein and Ek Khtola Jail Ke Bhitar. But the song most closely associated with his name was Bhari Court Mein Goli Marenge Meri Jaan, a title that roughly translates to “We will shoot you in a packed court, my love”. The track had reportedly accumulated over 54 million YouTube views. His YouTube following had crossed 3.6 lakh subscribers.

Baliyan had also begun moving beyond music. He produced podcasts and local videos featuring politicians, farmer leaders and community figures. Reports said he was preparing to contest the coming district panchayat elections, although neither his candidacy nor any link between those plans and his murder has been officially confirmed.

How was Ankit Baliyan killed?

The shooting occurred shortly before 7 pm outside a gym in Shamli’s Kotwali area. According to Additional Director General of Police Bhanu Bhaskar, Baliyan had finished exercising and stepped outside at around 6.55 pm. Four unidentified men arrived using two vehicles and opened fire. Witness accounts carried by news organisations suggest that between 15 and 20 rounds may have been discharged. Some reports put the number at 18. The final ballistic count should come from the police investigation rather than eyewitness estimates.

Baliyan suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to a community health centre, where doctors were unable to save him. The attack appears to have been targeted. The gunmen struck as Baliyan completed a routine gym visit, fired repeatedly and fled before they could be intercepted. That suggests planning, but investigators have not disclosed whether the attackers had conducted surveillance, received information about Baliyan’s movements or followed him to the gym. Police have formed several teams and sent investigators into Haryana. Officers are studying CCTV footage from the gym, surrounding roads and possible escape routes.

What does the alleged Gogi gang post claim?

A viral social media post carrying the purported name of the Gogi gang has claimed responsibility for Baliyan’s murder. The post reportedly alleges that the singer had created a song based on, or resembling, the killing of Jitendra Gogi inside Rohini court.

Shamli Superintendent of Police NP Singh has said investigators are examining the post and exploring whether Baliyan had an older dispute with anyone linked to the gang.

That is the correct evidentiary position at this stage: the post is a lead, not a solved motive. Anyone can create an account, attach a gang’s name and claim responsibility after a high-profile killing. A genuine post could also contain a false motive intended to obscure another dispute. Gang networks sometimes use social media not merely to confess but to advertise power, intimidate rivals, recruit followers or capture public attention. Authentication would require investigators to examine the account’s history, technical metadata, login trail, linked devices, communication with known gang members and whether the post contained information unavailable to the public. Until that work is complete, “Gogi gang claims responsibility” must remain an attributed allegation.

What was Baliyan’s courtroom song about?

Bhari Court Mein Goli Marenge Meri Jaan became Baliyan’s breakthrough hit and placed courtroom gunfire at the centre of its title and imagery. The alleged gang post appears to treat the song as an allusion to Gogi’s murder. But the public existence of a thematic resemblance does not establish that Baliyan wrote the song about Gogi, mocked the gang or had been threatened over it.

Those questions require evidence. Investigators will need to determine when the song was conceived and released, who wrote its lyrics, whether Baliyan or his collaborators ever described its inspiration and whether any warning, confrontation or demand followed its publication. They will also need to inspect Baliyan’s calls, messages and social media interactions for previous threats. The song may prove central to the case. It may also have supplied a convenient story after the murder because its title now appears eerily prophetic.

Who was Jitendra Gogi?

Jitendra Maan, better known as Jitendra Gogi, was one of Delhi’s most prominent gangsters and the leader of an organised-crime network involved in murder, extortion, robbery and land disputes. He was arrested in 2020 after years of rivalry with the Tillu Tajpuria gang.

On September 24, 2021, two gunmen disguised as lawyers entered a courtroom in Delhi’s Rohini complex and shot Gogi while he was being produced before a judge. Police personnel escorting him returned fire and killed both attackers. Delhi Police identified the gunmen as members of the Tillu gang. The audacious killing exposed grave security failures because the attackers had entered a functioning courtroom dressed in lawyers’ clothing.

Gogi and Tillu’s rivalry reportedly had grown out of local and university politics before escalating into a prolonged gang war. Gogi’s death did not automatically dismantle his network. Gang identities often survive their founders as jailed associates, shooters and overseas handlers continue using the old name. In 2023, for instance, a man allegedly linked to the Gogi gang reportedly fired outside a Delhi businessman’s home as part of an attempted ₹1 crore extortion. That history makes the claim in Baliyan’s case plausible enough to investigate. It does not make it true by default.

Did Baliyan have any known connection with the Gogi gang?

No verified connection has been made public. Police have not said that Baliyan was a gang member, financed criminals or participated in the Gogi-Tillu rivalry. His songs frequently used guns, jail, police and outlaw imagery, but artistic performance cannot be treated as evidence of criminal association. This distinction matters particularly in regional popular music, where larger-than-life masculinity, defiance, expensive vehicles and weapons often function as commercial imagery. A singer may perform a gangster persona without living one.

Could Baliyan’s reported political plans be relevant?

Possibly, but no link has been established. Baliyan was reportedly preparing to contest district panchayat elections. His growing local profile, online reach and ability to mobilise supporters could have made him a significant entrant into local politics. He had already demonstrated that mobilisation power. In 2023, a roadshow associated with him led to a police case over alleged disruption, unauthorised activity and traffic violations. After his murder, relatives, villagers and supporters blocked the Delhi-Muzaffarnagar road and demanded immediate arrests. The anger around the killing shows that Baliyan possessed influence extending beyond his music audience.

What other possibilities are police examining?

Investigators are keeping several lines open. One is a gang-related retaliation linked to the song or an older confrontation. Another is personal enmity. Police will examine Baliyan’s relationships, financial disputes and recent arguments to identify anyone with a reason to target him. A third is local political rivalry arising from his reported electoral ambitions. Investigators may also examine professional disputes within his music and digital businesses, although no such conflict has yet been publicly identified. The method of killing can indicate access to organised shooters, but even that does not identify who ordered the attack. Contract killings can be commissioned for personal, commercial, political or criminal reasons. The shooters and the person who hired them may not share the same motive.

Why is CCTV evidence so important?

The attack occurred in an urban area outside a gym that Baliyan visited regularly. That gives investigators a potentially rich trail of cameras, vehicles and mobile-phone signals. CCTV may show when the assailants arrived, whether they waited for Baliyan, which vehicles they used and where they fled. Footage from traffic junctions, shops, fuel stations and toll points could extend that route into neighbouring districts or Haryana.

Police can compare those movements with mobile-tower data and automatic number-plate records where available. Ballistic examination could determine how many weapons were fired and whether any have appeared in previous crimes. Baliyan’s phone may prove equally important. Investigators will search for threats, unusual calls, deleted conversations, financial demands and contact with unfamiliar numbers before the killing. The authenticity of the gang post must eventually connect with this physical evidence. If it does not, the claim may be little more than digital noise surrounding a real murder.

Why has the killing caused such anger in Shamli?

Baliyan was both an online celebrity and a local son. His videos travelled across Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, but his roots remained in Bantikhera. His reported move towards local politics further strengthened his connection with the district. After the shooting, supporters and relatives blocked a major road and demanded swift arrests. Police deployed additional personnel as senior officers arrived to supervise the investigation. The case has also triggered a wider law-and-order debate because the attackers were able to fire repeatedly in a populated area and escape.

What remains unknown?

Almost everything needed to solve the murder. Police have not identified the shooters publicly. No person has been arrested in connection with the attack. The alleged Gogi gang post has not been authenticated. No threat linked to Bhari Court Mein Goli Marenge Meri Jaan has been publicly established. Baliyan’s reported electoral ambitions have not been connected to the killing. Nor has any personal or professional dispute been confirmed as the motive. The murder currently has a dramatic claim, a disturbingly relevant song and several plausible theories. What it does not yet have is a proven chain connecting the person who fired the bullets to the person who ordered them. The gangster post is the loudest clue in the case. It may not be the strongest evidence.

(With inputs from ANI)