India demands probe after US cop mocks Indian-origin student's death
A video showing a Seattle police officer in the United States (US) joking about the death of an Indian student has sparked a massive row. The victim student, who reportedly hailed from Andhra Pradesh, was killed in January after being hit by a police vehicle. Now, Indian authorities have allegedly demanded a thorough probe and strict action against everyone involved in the matter.
Details on deceased Indian student's identity
According to the news agency PTI, the victim was identified as 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula. She was pursuing her master's degree at Northeastern University's Seattle campus in South Lake Union. It is also learned that Kandula was killed after being hit by Officer Kevin Dave's police vehicle, which was allegedly traveling at a top speed of 120kmph during impact.
Know what Seattle top cop said about Kandula's death
The Times Now reported that Seattle Police Officers' Guild Vice President Daniel Auderer was assigned to check if Dave was under the influence during the incident. However, bodycam footage showed him passing insensitive comments and laughing about Kandula's death in a call with the guild's president. He also referred to the victim student as "a regular person" and claimed "she had limited value."
You can check out Auderer's bodycam footage here
Indian consulate demands thorough investigation
Amid this, the Indian Consulate in San Francisco termed the handling of Kandula's death "deeply troubling." It also urged the US to conduct a comprehensive probe into the behavior of the Seattle cop who mocked her death. "We (the Indian Consulate) have taken up the matter strongly with local authorities in Seattle & Washington State as well as senior officials in Washington DC," it said on X (formerly Twitter).
Over 64,000 Indian students moved to US in 2022: Report
In March this year, the news outlet Mint reported that India overtook China in sending more students to the US in 2022. In its annual report, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) revealed that as many as 64,300 students from India arrived in America in 2022, while China came in a close second with 24,796 students.
