Indian American student sues New York police

New York(IANS) A civil liberties group has sued the New York Police Department (NYPD) on behalf of an Indian student who was detained in July while photographing a subway station here.

The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) filed the suit Thursday in the district court of Manhattan, alleging that police officers unlawfully handcuffed Arun Wiita, 26, a Columbia University graduate student.

Wiita was spotted using a digital camera near 207th Street and Tenth Avenue in Manhattan.

A resident of New Jersey, Wiita is seeking compensatory damages and reimbursement of legal fees.

"I was surprised and upset that I could be handcuffed on the street for taking a photograph," Wiita said. "What was really disheartening was that I knew this has probably happened before and that it could happen again to anyone."

"Wiita's arrest came within hours of his having embarked on a carefully planned 10-day project to photograph all 468 subway stations in New York," the lawsuit read.

"Though he was subsequently released without formal charges, Wiita was humiliated and confused by the arrest, and he believes that he was targeted in part because of his South Asian or Middle Eastern appearance," the lawsuit added. Wiita's mother is from India. He was born in the US.

Earlier this year, the police settled a suit brought by NYCLU on behalf of an award-winning documentary maker Rakesh Sharma, who was detained for filming with a handheld camera on a Manhattan street.

As a result, the mayor's office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting twice revamped its rules regarding the use of cameras on streets, parks or public property, tailoring them to apply only to potentially disruptive movie and television productions.

Police sources said officers question people photographing the city's rail infrastructure on "rare occasions", citing instances in which law enforcement officials have identified Iranian intelligence agents and suspected Pakistani terrorists taking photographs of the Brooklyn and Williamsburg bridges.

Aishwarya at Longiness Event Album

Celebs get-together for Charity Calenda

We are just a smooching distance away from biding good-bye to the old year and embracing the New Year. And for all you die hard Bollywood fans, what better can it be that to start your New Year simply ogling at the stars (as never seen before) in a mind blowing star-studded calendar and that too, the launch of the country’s first ever charity celebrity calendar featuring some of the top names in tinsel town.

‘In the Pink’ is an initiative aimed at raising finances for breast cancer awareness. Dalbir Bains along with Vicki Treadell - the British Deputy High Commissioner in Mumbai, are the brainchild behind this noble cause.

The calendar would not only feature stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Dia Mirza, Neil Mukesh, Deepika Padukone, Arjun Rampal, and Kunal Kapoor but would also feature well-known director Karan Johar, for whom, this is a first time experience. The photos have been shot by renowned photographer Subi Samuel, who when asked about his experience said, “It always is a wonderful feeling when you shoot with your friends and when the cause is something as noble as this one, it makes the whole experience all the more special. Shooting each picture was a complete pleasure.”

The calendar, which was unveiled yesterday by Neil Mukesh at a function in Mumbai, would be available for sale at Rs. 500 from December 15, 2007.