The Consulate General of India in San Francisco has taken cognizance of the viral video in which a US cop is heard laughing over the death of an Indian student, who was hit by a speeding police van in Seattle. Terming the incident “deeply troubling”, the Indian Consulate has raised the issue with authorities in Washington as well as local administration in Seattle and demanded action against the accused policeman.
“Recent reports, including in media of the handling of Ms Jaahnavi Kandula’s death in a road accident in Seattle in January 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 mission wrote on Twitter (now renamed X).
In a shocking case of apathy, a US cop is heard mocking the death of an Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula in a road accident in Seattle, US. The victim identified as 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula was hit by a police van while crossing the road in January this year. The van was being driven by a policeman named Kevin Dave.
However, the incident came to light only this week after a purported body-cam video of the cop was flagged by a police department investigator. The video believed to be shot from the cop’s body camera was recorded just after the incident.
In the video, Seattle Police Officers’ Guild Vice President Daniel Auderer is heard laughing and saying that the girl was of a “limited value.”
Shortly after saying “she’s dead”, Auderer laughs and says “it’s a regular person”, referring to Kandula. He then says “just write a check — $11,000, she was 26 anyway, she had limited value”.
Auderer also mentions that Dave was “going 50 (miles an hour)”, stating how “that’s not out of control” for a trained driver. According to reports, the officer was driving at 74 miles per hour.