Protest Erupts After Policeman Kneels Over Indian-Origin Man In New York

Just months to the killing of George Floyd spreading nationwide protests against police brutality across the US, a video of a policeman appearing to kneel on the neck of an Indian-origin man during his arrest in New York has sparked outrage.

Yugeshwar Gaindarpersaud's was arrested on Monday in the city of Schenectady and the video showed the policeman with his knee on the man's neck, a news agency reported.

“He was smashing my head into the concrete. I couldn’t move; I couldn’t do nothing,” said Yugeshwar, according to a media report.

According to a media report, the cellphone footage which was captured by his father Jaindra Gaindarpersaud.

“I said 'take off your foot of his neck.' I said it nearly 25 times,” Jaindra told the media house about the incident.

The visuals evoked the scene of the killing of the unarmed African-American man George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.

However, Gaindarpersaud was taken to a hospital after his arrest and survived.

He later participated in a protest outside the Schenectady police headquarters with about 100 people demanding action against the personnel in the incident, according to media reports.

"I am enraged and heartbroken to see this violence from a Schenectady police officer," tweeted Paul Tonko, the Democratic member of the House of Representatives.

The policeman's action could be a violation of a new New York state law outlawing the use of chokeholds or similar restraints on breathing that was passed in June in the aftermath of Floyd's killing.

Schenectady Police Chief Eric Clifford said in a statement on Tuesday that there had been a complaint that Gaindarpersaud had slashed the tyres of a car and he resisted when police tried to arrest him.

On Wednesday, visual from the bodycam worn by the policeman was released.

An internal inquiry has been ordered and the policeman has been moved to desk duty.