Haryanvi singer, Youtuber Ankit Balyan shot dead outside gym in UP's Shamli

Youtuber and Haryanvi singer Ankit Balyan was shot dead by unidentified assailants outside a gym in Shamli district on Wednesday evening, police said.

Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav termed Balyan's killing "highly condemnable", saying the "law and order" situation had been reduced to "zero" and demanded investigation into possible political rivalry.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also called it an attack on the Jat community.

The incident took place in the Kotwali police station area when Balyan was coming out of the gym, they said.

Speculation was rife that Balyan was planning to contest upcoming panchayat polls, but there was no official confirmation from authorities or his associates immediately on it and if that could be the reason behind his killing.

Superintendent of Police M P Singh told reporters that police rushed to the spot after receiving information about the shooting.

"The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination, and an investigation is .