Ankit Baliyan murder
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said a talented singer was gunned down with 18 bullets in broad daylight under BJP rule in UP.
“Neither dictatorship worked earlier nor will it work now,” Yadav said. On social media, he assured the Baliyan community of support against injustice and took a dig at RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary , blaming BJP and its “inactive allies” for a biased approach. From the govt side, cabinet minister Anil Kumar, Shamli MLA Prasanna Chaudhary and ex-minister Suresh Rana assured the family of “exemplary punishment”.
Jayant responded as well. He stated that searching for the victim’s caste in a heinous crime like murder and claiming community-specific anger reflected insensitivity. “During such moments, all differences of thought, caste or region are set aside and human relations are prioritised. Justice for Ankit’s family is not the concern of one caste or ‘gotra’ alone — it is mine and that of every justice-loving person,” he wrote. The RLD chief, whose western UP-based party is part of NDA, added he had spoken to Ankit’s father and the govt remained committed to take a firm stand. Meanwhile, leaders from across the spectrum continued to visit the family’s residence in BantIkhera. AAP MP Sanjay Singh, SP MPs Iqra Hasan and Harendra Malik raised questions on the state’s law and order.
Citing earlier killings in Lakhimpur, Pilibhit, Bahraich and Shravasti, he accused the govt of indifference.