India seeks probe after US cop caught joking on Andhra student’s death

New Delhi: India has called on the United States to launch a comprehensive inquiry into the bodycam footage capturing a Seattle police officer joking about the tragic death of an Indian-origin student after she was hit by a speeding police patrol vehicle.

In the video released on Monday, Daniel Auderer, the Vice President of the Seattle Police Officers' Guild, in a call with the guild's president, can be heard discussing the investigation into the accident that led to the untimely demise of Jaahnavi Kandula, who was fatally injured by his fellow officer, Kevin Dave, on January 23.

Kandula, 23, a native of the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, had been pursuing her master's degree at Northeastern University in Seattle and was set to receive a master's degree in information systems this December.

In the clip, Auderer can be heard saying, "She is dead" before bursting out into laughter and calling Kandula "a regular person". He further said, through bursts of laughter, "Yeah, just write a check. Eleven thousand dollars.''

The clip ends with him saying: "She was 26 anyway, she had limited value", getting her age wrong.

The Seattle Community Police Commission (CPC) issued a statement Monday following the release of the video, calling the conversation between Auderer and his colleague, "heartbreaking and shockingly insensitive."

'The people of Seattle deserve better from a police department that is charged with fostering trust with the community and ensuring public safety,'' the CPC added.

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Meanwhile, the Seattle police department, which released the video “in the interest of transparency,” said it would not comment on the matter until the Police Accountability Office concludes its investigation into the incident.

Indian Consulate in San Francisco termed the handling of Kandula’s death in a road accident as "deeply troubling" and demanded action against those involved in the case.

"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 mission said in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter).

The Consulate & Embassy will continue to closely follow up on this matter with all concerned authorities," it added.

Kandula was killed after being struck by a Seattle police patrol vehicle in South Lake Union.

Officer Kevin Dave was driving at nearly 120 kmph while responding to a report of an overdose, as reported by the Seattle Times newspaper.

The Seattle Police Department issued a statement explaining that the officer operating the marked patrol SUV was heading northbound on Dexter Avenue North in response to a "priority one call" alongside the Seattle Fire Department.

According to the statement, the female pedestrian was using the crosswalk to cross from east to west when the vehicle collided with her.

Initially, Auderer reported the officer was driving his car at 50 MPH and was not ''out of control''. However, later, the police investigation found that the car was at 74 MPH when it hit Kandula.

According to the King County Medical Examiner's Office, the cause of death was multiple blunt-force injuries.

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