(Image source from: 57 year old Indian faces Police brutality})

Family of the 57-year-old Indian man, who has been left partially paralysed after a police officer forced him on ground in the United States, will file a lawsuit with many rights organisations terming the incident as “police brutality” and “racial profiling”. Several Indian-American organisations and rights bodies not only condemned the brutality, but also demanded action against the police official whose aggression last week has left him paralysed.

“Consulate General in Atlanta in touch with Madison police chief and providing all necessary consular assistance,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said. 

Hank Sherrod, who is representing the Patel family, told AL.com that the officer escalated to violence with no provocation, forcing Mr. Patel to the ground face-first, leaving the grandfather bloody and partially paralysed. 

“This incident is part of a pattern of racial profiling, surveillance and violence that South Asians often face at the hands of law enforcement and part of the broader reality of police brutality in this country directed against Black and Brown communities,” Suman Raghunathan of South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) alleged.

“This attack on an individual who had committed no crime is unfortunately consistent with the continued pattern of aggression shown by police officers in the Tamar Rice and the Eric Garner cases,” said Samir Kalra, senior director for human rights at the Hindu American Foundation (HAF). “While the Madison police department acted appropriately in suspending the officer involved, it still faces serious questions about how this tragedy could have occurred,” he added.

Before giving lecture about religious tolerance in India, where minorities have special considerations than majorities, Mr. Obama should take necessary steps to first set his house in order. The racial attacks against black and browns are not a new phenomenon, which is what is happening in US.

By Premji