Indian slammed down after caller reported ‘black guy’
MADISON: Elderly Indian man, who was slammed to the ground by a police officer in United States, had been singled out by police after a caller said a “skinny black guy” with a toboggan hat was walking in the neighbourhood and peering into garages, recordings show.
The man, Sureshbhai Patel, 57, who doesn’t speak English, was slammed to the ground facefirst by an officer when he didn’t respond to commands. But he had committed no crime, the Madison police chief said.
Officer Eric Parker was arrested and is being fired. He has not commented publicly.
Patel filed a lawsuit on Thursday over the February 6 incident in Madison, where he was visiting his son’s family. His injuries include partial paralysis but he hopes for a full recovery, according to the lawsuit and Patel’s lawyer.
The lawsuit says Patel’s civil rights were violated. It seeks an unspecified amount of money.
The incident began when a man called police complaining that an unfamiliar man was wandering about his neighbourhood and peering toward garages. He said the man had been seen wandering the day before as well.
“He’s a skinny black guy. He’s got a toboggan on,” said the caller, who isn’t identified.
Madison Police Chief Larry Muncey said the officer’s actions weren’t justified.
“I found that Officer Eric Parker’s actions did not meet the high standards and expectations of the Madison City Police Department,” Muncey said.
Chirag Patel has told local news media that his father has only been to US once before and is visiting to help care for his grandson.
Attorney Hank Sherrod has the man was stopped and hurt at least partly because of his brown skin. “I think skin color made him more likely to be a victim of police power,” Sherrod said on Friday.
The Indian government is taking the incident seriously and is “extremely disturbed” by the treatment of Patel, a spokesman said on Friday.
“This is a matter of concern for us, and India and the US as open pluralist societies need to address these issues and find ways in a mature manner so that these are aberrations and are not the norm,” said Syed Akbaruddin, India’s foreign ministry spokesman.