A US officer was filmed smiling and making jokes about an Indian woman who was slain by a colleague; India has demanded an investigation.
An awful video of a US officer has emerged in which he is seen smiling and making jokes about a young Indian woman who was slain earlier this year by his colleague Officer Kevin Dave. The Seattle Police Department released body camera footage from accused officer Daniel Auderer on Monday. Concerns have been expressed by the Consulate General of India in San Francisco about the treatment of an Indian-origin lady, Jaahnavi Kandula, who was murdered by a police car, and a thorough inquiry and punishment against those responsible have been urged.
Who was Jaahnavi Kandula?
Jaahnavi Kandula was born in Andhra Pradesh to a single mother. She was doing her master’s degree at Northeastern University in Seattle and traveled to the US on a student exchange program in 2021 from Bengaluru. Jaahnavi’s uncle, Ashok Mandula, informed the Seattle Times in January that she will graduate in December of this year.
What does the disclosed body camera footage from accused officer Daniel Auderer show?
Kevin Dave hit and killed Jaahnavi Kandula, 23, at a crossing on January 23. The Seattle Times said that Dave was driving 74 mph (119 kmh) on his way to an overdose call, and Auderer, a drug recognition specialist, was tasked to determine whether Dave was impaired.
Auderer then left his body-worn camera on while calling guild President Mike Solan to report what had transpired. In a tape released by the police department on Monday, is driving and is heard discussing the accident involving 23-year-old doctoral student Kandula in a call with the guild’s president Mike Solan.
Auderer can be heard stating “She is dead” before busting out laughing on the footage. Auderer stated about Kandula, “No, it’s just a regular person.” Towards the end of the video, he can be heard laughing and saying, “Yeah, just write a cheque.” One thousand dollars. “She was 26 anyway,” the victim’s age was incorrectly stated. He went on to say, “She had limited value,” according to the New York Post, as quoted by ANI.
Auderer stated that he did not believe a criminal inquiry was underway. “I mean, he was going 50 mph,” he explained. That is not out of hand. For a trained driver, that is hardly risky.” However, a police investigative report sent to prosecutors for consideration last month stated that Dave was traveling at 74 mph at the time of the collision, and Kandula was flung more than 100 feet.
Indian demands probe:
India has pressed the US authorities for a comprehensive inquiry and punishment against those responsible in the issue.
Read More: Kerala, India, Closes Certain Schools and Banks To Combat Deadly Nipah Virus
The event was described as highly worrisome by the Consulate General of India in San Francisco in a post on X. “Recent reports, including in the media, of Ms Jaahnavi Kandula’s death in a road accident in Seattle in January are deeply troubling,” it stated. We have forcefully advocated for a comprehensive investigation and action against individuals involved in this terrible case with local authorities in Seattle and Washington State, as well as high officials in Washington DC. The Consulate and Embassy will continue to closely monitor this subject with all relevant authorities.”
