India has demanded a probe into the death of the Indian student 
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India has demanded a probe into the death of the Indian student A chilling video by the Seattle Police Department, showing a cop laughing and joking over the death of 23-year-old Northeastern University graduate Jaahnavi Kandula, is going viral on social media with people calling for strict action against the officer.
Jaahnavi Kandula was killed in January after she was struck by a police vehicle driven by officer Kevin Dave. He was driving 74 mph (more than 119 kmph) on the way to a report of an overdose, the Seattle Times newspaper reported on Monday.
In the clip going viral, Daniel Auderer, the vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, was on a call with the guild's president, Mike Solan. He laughed several times, saying at one point, "Yeah, just write a cheque."
"Eleven thousand dollars. She was 26 anyway," Auderer said in the video, misstating Kandula's age. "She had limited value," he was quoted as saying.
A user on X (formerly Twitter) wrote, "Thoughts and prayers for Jaahnavi's family in India. Sad to know a life was taken by the people who are appointed for our protection. Putting a limit and laughing it off is not a normal behavior. Hoping there is maximum justice for Jaahnavi."
YSRC Parliamentary Party leader and general secretary V Vijayasai Reddy said the shameful comments made by Seattle Police officer about the death of Jaahnavi Kandula are appalling. Calling her a ‘regular person’ with ‘limited value’ is crass and insensitive, he said, and urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to raise this issue with the US government for strict action.
"This breaks the heart 1000 times. Such a sad state of America and inhumane, heartless people. Prayers to family of #JaahnaviKandula," another added.
A user questioned, "...8 months after accident, a bodycam video of Daniel Auderer, who is vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, has gone viral on social media. He was laughing about her death & said that "She was 26, anyway… She had limited value....just give $11,000". Is this the value of an Indian immigrant student in USA?"
Since the video was released, people have been calling out the police officer and terming his act as "absolutely disgusting".
Meanwhile, India has demanded a probe into the death of the Indian student. The Consulate General of India in San Francisco on Wednesday termed the incident and the now viral video of the cop’s reaction as "deeply troubling".
"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 platform X (formerly Twitter).
"The Consulate & Embassy will continue to closely follow up on this matter with all concerned authorities," it added.
Also Read: 'She had limited value': US cop caught laughing over Indian student's death in video, probe launched
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