The tragic passing away of 23-year-old Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula on January 23, who was hit by a speeding police patrol car in the United States, has sparked a major controversy- a video showing a Seattle police officer callously laughing about her death has garnered strong criticism, not only from India’s ambassador to the United States but also from individuals across the globe.
Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old student, originally hailed from the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. She was enrolled in a master’s degree program in information systems at Northeastern University’s South Lake Union campus. She arrived in the US in 2021 as part of a student exchange program and was scheduled to receive her master’s degree in December of the current year.
What happened on the night of her death?
Jaahnavi Kandula was using the crosswalk to move from the east side to the west side when she was struck by a Seattle cop driving north in a police car. Jaahnavi was thrown 100 feet away by the police car traveling at nearly 120 kmph. The officer was responding to a “priority one” call, which the Seattle Police Department described as a situation involving a threat to life. Emergency responders made efforts to revive Kandula through CPR, but sadly, she died later that night. On the night of her death, her uncle Ashok Mandula flew to Seattle to make arrangements for Kandula’s body to be transported back to India.
However, almost eight months after the tragic road accident claimed the life of 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula, her death is once again gaining attention. This renewed focus follows an investigation initiated by a Seattle Police oversight body into the body-camera audio recordings where officers are heard making inappropriate comments and downplaying the seriousness of Kandula’s death.
Footage released by the Seattle Police Department from accused officer Daniel Auderer’s body camera earlier this week in which he can be heard joking and laughing about the incident has sparked massive outrage. In the video, the police officer reportedly laughs several times and says, “She is dead”. At the end of the clip, he is heard saying, “Yeah, just write a cheque. Eleven thousand dollars. She was 26 anyway…she had limited value.”
While the US has promised to take action, the apparent trivialisation of the incident by the US officer is provoking outrage on social media.
“In the days following this tragedy, our Seattle campus community came together in a vigil to remember and show solidarity… Her absence will be deeply felt by students, staff, and faculty… The university intends to grant Jaahnavi her degree posthumously and present it to her family,” Chancellor Kenneth W. Henderson announced in a Facebook post from the university’s official account.
What was concluded by the police?
Officer Daniel Auderer, representing the Seattle Police Officers Guild, was assigned the task of determining whether Kevin Dave, the individual who had struck Jaahnavi Kandula with his car, was under the influence of drugs. Auderer had concluded that his colleague was not impaired.
Upon completing the routine analysis, Auderer made a phone call to another police official. Regrettably, he forgot to deactivate his body camera, and his side of the conversation is audible in the recently released body camera footage.
Such insensitive comments have sparked protests, making everyone question the insensitivity of the comments.
