The Indian consulate in San Francisco has taken strong action in response to the tragic death of an Indian national in Seattle, who was struck by a police car. The incident took a disturbing turn when body camera audio captured a responding police officer making offensive jokes and suggesting that the victim's life had little value.
India has called upon the United States to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the bodycam footage that features a Seattle police officer making callous remarks about the Indian student's death. The incident, involving 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula, a Northeastern University student, has sparked outrage.
The Seattle Times reported that the police watchdog agency is currently examining the conduct of police union leaders in connection with the body camera audio, in which they were heard laughing and downplaying the tragic incident. The Indian consulate expressed deep concern about the handling of Kandula's death in media reports. In a tweet, they stated, "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."
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In January of this year, Kandula was tragically struck by a police car driven by Officer Kevin Dave, who was responding to a call. Another police officer, Daniel Auderer, vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, inadvertently left his body camera on during the incident, capturing a call he made to the guild president Mike Solan. In the recorded audio, Auderer was heard making insensitive comments about Kandula's life, suggesting it had "limited value" and even erroneously stating her age as 26. He callously remarked that the city should simply "write a check."
Kandula, a 23-year-old student, had been on the verge of graduating with a master's degree in information systems. Her family revealed that she had been working towards supporting her mother in India with her educational pursuits.
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In response to the disturbing comments made by the police officers, Kandula's uncle, Ashok Mandula, expressed his sorrow, saying, "The family has nothing to say, except I wonder if these men's daughters or granddaughters have value. A life is a life."
Tragically, Kandula's promising future was cut short, and her family has had to grapple with the unexpected loss and make arrangements to send her body to her grieving mother.
