NEW DELHI: India summoned a US embassy official to raise concern over use of excessive force against a 57-year-old Indian national by local police, outside his son’s home in US state of Alabama.
Sureshbhai Patel, who was visiting his son in Alabama, was forced to the ground by a police officer, who had reached the neighbourhood on receiving a report of a suspicious person lurking around the garages. Patel, who did not speak English, did not respond to the questions of the police.
Police said he apparently put his hand into his pocket, which led the officer to tackle him to the ground - which left him partially paralysed. The family of Patel has apparently sued the local police for damages. Several Indian-American organisations have also come forward critcising the police for racial profiling. In Delhi, a government, smarting from the remarks of US president Barack Obama on religious intolerance, was quick to take up the matter.
“Consulate General in Atlanta is in touch with Madison police chief and is providing all necessary consular assistance,” said MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin. MEA’s joint secretary (Americas) Vinay Kwatra met the senior official of the US embassy.