Almost nine months after the death of an Indian student from Andhra Pradesh - 23-year-old Jahnavi Kandula who was pursuing a master’s degree at Seattle’s Northeastern University, #JusticeforJaahnaviKandula has been trending on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, 14 September, in which a video showed a police officer laughing at her death after being hit by a speeding police car in Seattle.
On Wednesday, India urged the United States to conduct a comprehensive investigation on the same. The Consulate General of India in San Francisco expressed deep concern over the case and has engaged with both local authorities in Seattle and senior officials in Washington, D.C. They have called for action against the individuals involved and committed to monitoring the matter closely.
In response, the U.S. government has assured the Indian government of a prompt investigation, according to PTI. Senior U.S. officials have conveyed to India's Ambassador to the U.S., Taranjit Singh Sandhu, and the Indian government that they are treating the case with utmost seriousness.
.. for a thorough investigation & action against those involved in this tragic case.
— India in SF (@CGISFO) September 13, 2023
The Consulate & Embassy will continue to closely follow up on this matter with all concerned authorities.@IndianEmbassyUS @MEAIndia
The Actual Incident
On January 23, the student, 23-year-old Jahnavi Kandula, was hit by a car being driven by a police officer named Kevin Dave, who was on his way to look into a case of an overdose. The police officer was said to have been driving at 119 kilometres per hour, and Kandula was thrown over 100 feet due to the impact, according to The Seattle Times. She died later that night.
Following the incident, Officer Daniel Auderer, a drug-recognition expert, was assigned the responsibility of assessing whether Officer Dave was impaired by any intoxicants. He ultimately determined that his colleague was in a condition to continue working. Subsequently, Auderer contacted Mike Solan, the president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, and the two engaged in a brief two-minute conversation.
In an unintended turn of events, Auderer's body camera remained operational during their discussion, and the footage was subsequently made public on Monday. Notably, the audio of Solan's comments in the recording is indiscernible.
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The Family's reaction
On Thursday, the family raised concerns about the delayed release of the bodycam footage, months after her passing. The grandfather expressed that the video has compounded the anguish and depression that the mother has been enduring since the tragic incident. In a video clip that was widely shared on social media, Auderer was heard laughing about the crash and saying that Kandula had “limited value” owing to her age.
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell in a letter to the Kandula’s family said that the comments made by the officer do not reflect the feelings of the city.
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell sent this letter to the family of Jaahnavi Kandula after body camera video was released showing an SPD officer laughing and making insensitive comments following her death @komonews https://t.co/FENwuFNwTd pic.twitter.com/E8OrwEiaaO
— Lynnanne Nguyen (@LynnanneNguyen) September 14, 2023
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