US federal officials have charged an ex-Alabama police officer with violating the civil rights of a 57-year-old Indian man who recently moved to the US.
According to BBC, the officer named Eric Sloan Parker used unreasonable force against Sureshbhai Patel who suffered injuries in February including partial paralysis when Parker pushed him to the ground.
Parker, who maintains his innocence, also faces state assault charges.
Patel was walking outside his son's home in an Alabama suburb when police said they received a call from a neighbour about a suspicious person.
Footage from police cameras showed Patel - trying to walk away when the officers approached him and shoved him to the ground.
Parker has now lost his job and Alabama Governor Robert Bentley apologised to the Indian government for the treatment of Patel, calling it a case of "excessive force".
