India demands US to take action in a case involving a Seattle cop joking over the death of an Indian student

India has called on US authorities to take strong action in response to a case involving a Seattle police officer making insensitive remarks about the tragic death of a student of Indian origin.

The 23-year-old student, identified as Jaahnavi Kandula, was struck by a speeding police vehicle in January. The police car, reportedly traveling at 120 kmph, was responding to a report of an overdose.

A video released by the Seattle Police Department on September 11 showed another police officer laughing and making jokes about the accident.

In the video, which has gone viral on social media, Seattle Police Officers’ Guild Vice President Daniel Auderer can be heard saying, “She is dead,” before bursting into laughter and referring to Kandula as “a regular person.” Towards the end of the video, the officer says, “She was 26 anyway, she had limited value,” incorrectly stating her age.

The Indian Consulate in San Francisco described the incident as “deeply troubling” and called on US authorities to conduct a thorough investigation. In a Twitter post, the mission 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 and embassy will continue to closely monitor the situation with relevant authorities.

The Seattle Community Police Commission (CPC) issued a statement condemning the comments made by the accused police officer, describing them as “heartbreaking and shockingly insensitive.” The CPC emphasized that the people of Seattle deserve better from a police department tasked with building trust within the community and ensuring public safety.

Jaahnavi Kandula, originally from Andhra Pradesh, India, was a master’s program student at Northeastern University in Seattle. A GoFundMe campaign was initiated to support her family, and her uncle, Ashok Kandula, was quoted on the page as saying, “The family has nothing to say except I wonder if these men’s daughters or granddaughters have value. A life is a life.”