Indian-origin man critical after Australian police allegedly knee neck during arrest

Canberra: A 42-year-old Indian-origin man, Gaurav Kundi, is fighting for his life after allegedly being kneed in the neck by police officers during a violent arrest in Adelaide’s eastern suburbs.

Kundi, a father of two, is on life support at the Royal Adelaide Hospital with critical brain and neck injuries, according to Australian media reports.

The incident, captured on video by his wife Amritpal Kaur, shows Kundi being pinned to the ground on Payneham Road. In the footage, he is heard shouting, “I’ve done nothing wrong,” while his wife cries in the background and pleads with officers.

“It’s just 19 seconds of video because I panicked,” Kaur told 9News. “I sat on the ground with Gaurav and kept saying, ‘He’s not well. Please don’t do this. Just call an ambulance.’”

Doctors have reportedly told the family that Kundi’s brain may be irreversibly damaged. “Maybe he will wake up if his brain works, or maybe he will not,” Kaur said.

Kaur explained that the couple had a loud argument, which drew the attention of a police patrol that allegedly misread the situation as a domestic violence incident.

“He pushed me a little… the policeman thought it was domestic violence, but he was just drunk and unwell. That’s why he was loud, nothing else,” she said.

She also claimed that police slammed Kundi’s head into the car and road before kneeling on his neck. “His brain is damaged because the policeman hit him very badly… His heart is not working properly. I’m just sitting and praying,” she said.

South Australia Police have confirmed an internal investigation and are reviewing bodycam footage. However, Acting Assistant Commissioner John DeCandia said preliminary evidence suggests officers acted appropriately.

“I can say that from the body-worn video I’ve reviewed so far, I’m comfortable with the officer’s actions – but that’s based on just one portion of the evidence,” DeCandia said.