Jaahnavi Kandula tragically lost her life in a fatal accident involving a police car while crossing a street in Seattle on January 23 this year.
The United States has pledged to conduct a fair investigation following the circulation of a viral video in which a police officer made insensitive comments about the death of Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula in Seattle after she was struck by a speeding police car. The Indian Consulate in San Francisco expressed concerns about the handling of the case. In the video, Officer Daniel Auderer can be heard laughing about the deadly accident and suggesting that there was no need for a criminal investigation against his colleague Kevin Dave, who was driving the car.
Who was Jaahnavi Kandula? Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old from Andhra Pradesh, was pursuing a master’s degree at the Northeastern University campus in South Lake Union, Seattle. She had come to the United States from Bengaluru as part of a student exchange program in 2021 and was set to graduate in December.
Ms. Kandula’s family is deeply distressed by the revelations. Her grandfather, in an interview with NDTV, expressed their ongoing grief and the officer’s behavior only compounds their pain. He questioned, “How can anyone speak like that after such a tragic accident?”
What transpired on January 23? On January 23, Ms. Kandula was fatally struck by a police car while crossing the street. According to The Seattle Times, the police officer driving the car, Kevin Dave, was traveling at 119 kmph, and the graduate student’s body was thrown over 100 feet.
Ms. Kandula was rushed to Harbourview Medical Centre but succumbed to her injuries.
How did the police officer at the scene react? TheSeattle Times reported that Officer Auderer arrived at the scene and his body camera recorded audio from a call he made to a colleague.
“But she is dead,” the officer is heard saying before laughing. “No, it’s a regular person. Yeah, just write a cheque,” he says, before laughing again.
“Eleven thousand dollars. She was 26, anyway. She had limited value.”
Following the release of the footage by the Seattle Police Department on Monday, it sparked outrage on social media, with one user suggesting, “Sue the Police department…that’s how they will learn to respect the dead.”
“If this was an American citizen killed on Indian soil, then the USA would have shaken up the Indian government to its core! Those policemen should be punished in prison or have their licenses permanently revoked,” commented another user.
Officer Auderer’s Response to the Outrage Officer Auderer claimed that his comments were taken out of context. Jason Rantz, a radio host, revealed that he had a written statement from the police officer stating that his comments were meant to mimic how city attorneys might attempt to minimize liability for the woman’s death.
However, Ms. Kandula’s family expressed surprise that this information was not disclosed earlier. Her grandfather told NDTV, “We have lost our child, but this revelation is beyond shocking.”
