Indian man assaulted in US: Accused Alabama cop may just get away

Bengaluru, Feb 15: The Police officer, who has been arrested in connection with the case of assault on an Indian man, may just get away easily. The Alabama police officer has been charged with third degree assault.

Despite an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), experts believe that with the third degree assault the cop may get a trivial punishment.

According to law in Alabama, a person, who is charged with third degree assault, can be subjected to any or all of the following penalties:

Incarceration: The guilty is subjected not more than one year of hard labour for the county or imprisonment in the county jail.

Fines: A fine up to $6,000 can be imposed.

Probation: The guilty is asked to meet a probation officer regularly and fulfills other terms and conditions, such as maintaining employment and attending counseling.

Community service: Sometime the guilty is asked to work with a court-approved organisation as a charity. The guilty has to work with such organisations for a few hours.

Sureshbhai Patel assaulted:

The incident occurred on the morning of Feb 6 while walking down the sidewalk in the neighbourhood, 57-year-old Sureshbhai Patel was violently assaulted by a police official without provocation, and left partially paralysed.

A day before, Patel had arrived in the United States to assist his son and daughter-in-law in caring for their 17-month-old child, who was developmentally delayed after a premature birth.

CCTV footage shows Patel walking quietly in a sidewalk. He is not seen peeping at any of the houses or garage as was the police told in an non-emergency call it received from a neighbour, after which a police car was rushed to the neighbourhood.

In the video, two police officers are seen approaching Patel and asking him questions – like name, address and identity card. Patel is heard saying "No English" and pointing towards his son's home.

Soon one of the police officer, later identified as Parker, is seen violently throwing Patel on the ground and threatening him not to leave. It is at this time it appears Patel was paralysed, apparently by shock.

Moments later when two police officers try to walk him, Patel is not able to stand on his own. Patel was severely injured in the incident, said his attorney Henry F Sherrod. Patel has been partly paralysed and is currently under treatment at a city hospital.

The health condition of Patel showed improvement, his attorney has said on Sunday, Feb 15. Attorney Henry F Sherrod said that Patel could speak but it is a long way to go for his full recovery.

"Due to his hard work and motivation, Mr Patel is improving faster than expected though he has a long way to go," his attorney Henry F Sherrod was quoted as saying.

OneIndia News
(With PTI inputs)