An India-born man, who accused two New York City police officers of assaulting him, has been awarded $20,000 in compensation by a federal jury, which held the officers guilty of violating his civil rights.

The man had also accused the officers of racial abuse.

A Brooklyn federal jury found that two police officers from Queens were guilty of excessive force for hitting a man in the groin with a flashlight repeatedly, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported.

Harwinder Vilkhu, 36, said the officers had grabbed him by the collar while he was sitting outside the York College of Performing Arts Centre and hit him in the groin and stomach with a flashlight when he asked their names and the reason they were mistreating him.

Vilkhu, who was then left at the scene, was picked up by an ambulance and taken to a local hospital. The incident took place in May 2005.

Vilkhu, who had acquired American citizenship four months earlier, was called "all sorts of racist names" by the two officers, his lawyer Mariann Meier Wang said.

The two officers hit another man on the head with a flashlight while arresting him a month later, the daily said.

Officer Adam Jangel and Sgt Michael Hoehl, who were found guilty after a two-week trial, maintained they did not hit the plaintiff or use force against him.

"I'm very pleased they vindicated our client's constitutional rights and saw through the fabrications of the officers," Wang said.

Meanwhile, city attorney Arthur Larkin said in a statement that the alleged incident "should not have resulted in an award to the plaintiff" and said "the city is considering its legal options".