New York, Feb 17
While a crowd-funding initiative was launched to raise money to help with the medical expenses of an Indian who was left paralysed after an encounter with police, a rival Internet fundraiser has been launched by supporters of the police officer charged with attacking him and dismissed from the police force.

A video of the racially charged incident Feb 6 shows police officer Eric Parker attacking 57-year-old Sureshbhai Patel even as he falls to the ground and is unable to get up.

As of Monday night, the Gofundme.com site for Patel had raised $176,895 from 4,075 people against a target of $100,000.

The crowd-funding site set up on Indiegogo.com for the 26-year-old Parker, had raised $3,245 by Monday night against a goal of $10,000. Some donations were of $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\'s 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 $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.\"

When a neighbour complained to police that a \"skinny black guy\" was loitering in the neighbourhood, Parker and a trainee drove over and confronted Patel. The encounter quickly escalated when Patel, who does not speak English, could not answer police questions. Patel had recently come to the US to visit his son.

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 $6,000. He surrendered to authorities at a local jail Thursday and was released on bail with a court appearance set for March 12.

The swift action by Madison Police Chief Larry Muncey was in sharp contrast to the handling of the shooting of an unarmed teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, and the choking death of a man on Staten Island. In both cases where the victims were African Americans, the white police officers stayed on the police force while they were were cleared by a grand jury, the first step in prosecution. Riots broke out for several days over the incident in Ferguson.

An online fundraising campaign to meet the medical expenses of Sureshbhai Patel, the Indian grandfather who was brutally attacked by a police officer in Madison, Alabama has collected $174,619 in five days. More than 4000 people paid money through http://www.gofundme.com/m757pw

Patel, who arrived early this month, has no medical insurance. The money will go for his medial expenses. The goal was $100,000 but it surpassed it in two days.

Hank Sherrod, the family lawyer, said that Patel is improving faster than expected. â€˜His grip strength is improving, though he canâ€™t yet handle small objects (like a spoon). His legs are improving, too, particularly his right leg. The doctors attribute the improvement to Mr. Patelâ€™s hard work and motivation.â€™ Sureshbhai is in the process of being transferred to a rehabilitation center.

The funds raised through Go Fund Me will be solely used for Patelâ€™s care and not for any legal fees or expenses.

Patel has undergone spinal surgery and remains partially paralyzed in Huntsville Hospital.

Meanwhile another crowd-funding page has been created on IndieGoGo.com for Eric Parker, the Madison police officer who has been fired from his job and arrested for third-degree assault on Sureshbhai Patel. The fundraiser that started on February 13 with a goal of $10,000 in a month has raised $3,243. The description says, simply, â€˜To help with Parker\'s bills, etc. Any donation is greatly appreciated.â€™

Rival fund-raising site for cop charged with attacking Indian