Jaahnavi Kandula Death: India Demands Probe After US Cop Mocks Incident

India has demanded a thorough investigation into the death of an Indian-origin student – Jaahnavi Kandula – who was hit and killed by a police vehicle in Seattle, United States in January this year. This comes after reports of a purported video showing a police officer joking and bursting into laughter over the incident.

The Consulate General of India in San Francisco on Wednesday said that the “recent reports including in media of the handling Jaahnavi Kandula’s death are deeply troubling”.

“We have taken up the matter strongly with local authorities in Seattle & Washington State as well as senior officials in Washington DC .. for a thorough investigation & action against those involved in this tragic case. The Consulate & Embassy will continue to closely follow up on this matter with all concerned authorities,” the Indian Consulate wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The 23-year-old graduate student was killed on January 23 after she was hit by a patrol car driven by police officer Kevin Dave in Seattle. According to reports, Dave was driving the car at 74 mph (119 kmph) and the student’s body was thrown more than 100 feet (30 meters) away.

US cop mocks the incident

A massive outrage broke out after the Seattle Police Department released footage from accused officer Daniel Auderer’s body camera on Monday. In the video clip, Auderer – who serves as vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild – can be heard talking about the accident in a call with the guild’s president Mike Solan.

He can then be heard saying “she is dead” before bursting into laughter.

Towards the end of the clip, Auderer can be heard saying, “Yeah, just write a check. Eleven thousand dollars. She was 26 anyway…She had limited value,” reported news agency ANI.