Ghaziabad, May 28 -- Nearly 48 hours after a police constable from Noida was shot dead in Ghaziabad's Nahal village during a Sunday night raid, the village wore a deserted look. Many families-especially young men-have fled, fearing a police crackdown, the village head said.

Located about 3km off National Highway 9, along the Upper Ganga Canal, Nahal is home to an estimated 15,000-20,000 people and is predominantly Muslim. Around 11pm on Sunday, the village became the site of a violent encounter in which constable Saurabh Kumar was shot in the head during a raid by Noida Police.

"Since the incident, most shops haven't opened and locals are afraid to step outside," said Haji Tassuvur, gram pradhan of the village. "From late Monday night t...