New York, Dec 8 (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.