Meanwhile, at the State Department spokesperson Ms Jen Psaki said: “Our hearts go out to him (Patel) and to his family. Obviously, there’ll be an investigation into this case which will be handled by local authorities.” “I don’t have anything more to lay out in terms of our diplomatic discussions,” she said when asked about reports of New Delhi expressing concern over the incident. “I would say that the Secretary and the State Department certainly express our strong condolences to the family for everything that he has been through,” she said. “This is being handled by local authorities, and certainly, we would address any concerns through private diplomatic channels,” Ms Psaki added.

Meanwhile, according to the Washington Post donations poured into GoFundMe account set by a member of the Indian community, who is not related to the family, to help with Mr Patel’s medical bills and other expenses as he has no insurance. As of February 16, 2015 night, the Gofundme.com site for Patel had raised USD 176,895 from 4,075 people against a target of USD 100,000.

Mr Patel’s lawyer Mr Hank Sherrod told a local newspaper that Indian Americans from all over the country have contacted him directly about sending cheques to the family to cover medical bills.

Rival fund-raising site for cop charged with attacking Indian

While a crowd-funding initiative was launched to raise money to help with the medical expenses of Mr Sureshbhai Patel, a rival Internet fundraiser has been launched by supporters of the police officer charged with attacking him and dismissed from the police force. As of Monday night, the Gofundme.com site for Patel had raised USD 176,895 from 4,075 people against a target of USD 100,000.

The crowd-funding site set up on Indiegogo.com for the 26-year-old Eric Parker, had raised USD 3,245 by February 16, 2015 night against a goal of USD 10,000. Some donations were of USD 1, which appeared to be sarcastic gestures with one of the donors adding a note to the dollar contribution, “he should be prosecuted for his crime. It is that simple.” However, in the atmosphere of racial tension, there were larger donations and voices of support for the officer. Saying, “My heart hurts for you,” one woman sent in USD 25 and wrote, “I want Mr Parker to know that my husband and I support him 100 percent. ... Unfortunately the media always tells the worst even though they don’t know all the facts.”

After releasing the video of the attack recorded by a camera mounted on the police car officials promptly fired the officer. He has been charged with assault and could face a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a fine of up to USD 6,000. He surrendered to authorities at a local jail Thursdayand was released on bail with a court appearance set for March 12.