Khap heads set Oct 5 deadline for arrests in Ankit Balyan murder case

Khap heads and Jat leaders in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district have set an October 5 deadline for the arrest of all remaining accused in the murder of Haryanvi singer Ankit Balyan.

The demand followed a meeting between the khap delegation and District Magistrate Alok Yadav and Superintendent of Police N P Singh on Saturday. Speaking to reporters in Shamli afterwards, Balyan khap head Naresh Tikait said the community representatives had also sought security for the singer's family, employment for one of its members and financial assistance.

Tikait said senior officers present at the meeting assured the delegation that the accused would be taken into custody soon.

Balyan was shot dead on August 26 as he walked from a gym towards his car in Shamli. Police said four assailants on two motorcycles opened fire, and the singer sustained five bullet wounds, two of them to the head.

Some of the accused were identified on August 29. Two of them, Mohit and Sumit, were killed in a police encounter in Shamli on August 31. According to the police, Mohit faced at least 14 criminal cases, while Sumit had one.