Who was Jaahnavi Kandula? What happened on the date of her death in the US?

India has demanded strong action from US authorities after it came to light that a US police officer joked about the death of Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old Indian student who was killed after being flung 100 feet away as a police car struck her at a speed of nearly 120 kmph. The US has assured action but the apparent downplaying of the incident by the US cop is eliciting angry reactions on social media.

Jaahnavi Kandula, the 23-year-old student hailed from southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. She was pursuing a masters degree in information systems from the Northeastern University campus in South Lake Union. She went to US in 2021 on a student exchange programme and was due to get her master’s degree in December this year.

It has been reported that Kandula was a daughter to a single mother and wanted to support her after completing her studies.

Kandula was killed after being hit by a police car which was, according to The Seattle Times, was being driven by police officer Kevin Dave at a speed of nearly 120 kmph. Kandula was thrown more than 100 feet away after the deadly collision. She was rushed to Harbourview Medical Centre but succumbed to her injuries.

The Seattle Times has reported that officer Daniel Auderer, who is also vice-president of Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG), was assigned to determine whether officer Dave was under influence. The Seattle Police Department earlier this week released a video recorded from Auderer’s body-cam which he forgot to switch off.

This video in which Auderer can be seen joking about Kandula’s death has created a controversy.

As per Seattle Times report, Auderer conducted routine analysis of whether Dave was under influence and then called Mike Solan, the president of the police union. The video reportedly shows Auderer’s side of the conversation and he can be heard laughing off the accident that caused Kandula’s death.

He apparently downplayed the gravity of the incident by saying that city should “write a check” apparently to pay damages to the family of Kandula who “had limited value”.

NDTV reported that the family is deeply distressed.

“How can anyone speak like that after a tragic accident?” asked her grandfather, as quoted by NDTV.

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