The brutal police assault on a 57-year-old Indian man in Alabama that left him partially paralysed, has been described as "horrible and tragic" by influential US lawmakers who said there are reasons to be concerned over incidents against South Asians in the country.

"This week's incident in Alabama that left an Indian grandfather visiting his American family partially paralysed is horrible and tragic," said Congressman Ami Bera,

Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans. "I'm glad officials have acted quickly to respond and that the FBI has opened an investigation," said Bera, the only Indian American in the current Congress.

"Moving forward, we must come together as a nation to tackle the very real issues our minority communities face, and to rebuild trust and understanding among law enforcement agencies and the diverse communities that they serve,"he said.