In its first official statement, the Indian Consulate in San Francisco demanded action against a US cop making light of an Indian student's death in viral video.
"Recent reports including in the media of the handling of Ms Jaahnavi Kandula’s death in a road accident in Seattle in January are deeply troubling. We have taken up the matter strongly with local authorities in Seattle & Washington State as well as senior officials in Washington DC," stated the tweet by the Consulate General of India in San Francisco. The Mission will continue following up on case for a thorough investigation in the matter, according to the tweet.
The viral video, believed to be a body cam footage known to record police conduct across the US, shows Officer Daniel Auderer discussing the death of 23-year-old grad student Jaahnavi Kudala.
Killed by his colleague Kevin Dave in a car crash, Auderer defends his actions by calling the student's life as having 'limited value'.
"She is dead," Auderer exclaims to an unnamed person on the phone while bursting into laughter. "It's a regular person. Just write a check. $11,000 dollars. She was 26 anyway, had limited value," quips Auderer, who added on call that he doesn't believe a criminal investigation will happen.
The comments have caused uproar not only in India but also the US, where police brutality, funding, and community relations have been contentious issues.
As per US media reports, the officer was going at 74 mph and crashed Jaahnavi after which Auderer came on the wreck scene to evaluate whether Dave is impaired. The viral recording is from the phone call with Auderer right after checking up on Dave.
