The Chancellor of Northeastern University expressed hoped that the ongoing probe will bring a measure of justice and accountability.
Jaahnvi Kandula. (X)
Jaahnvi Kandula, the 23-year-old Indian woman killed by a speeding police car in Seattle, will be awarded Master’s degree posthumously, Chancellor Kenneth W Henderson of the Northeastern University has informed her family in Andhra Pradesh.
The chancellor expressed hope that the ongoing probe would bring a measure of justice and accountability.
Jaahnvi, who had left for the US in September 2020, was to graduate this December in information systems from the Seattle campus of Northeastern University. She was killed when a speeding police car mowed her down on 23 January.
Speaking to South First, Jaahnvi’s maternal grandfather Suribabu said that the family was informed of the university awarding her the degree.
“We were informed today. We got a message saying Jaahnvi will be awarded her Master’s degree,” he said.
“They said that the degree would be sent through post. It is not how we imagined her to get the degree,” the degree.
He further said that Jaanhvi’s mother Vijayalakshmi Kandula, and sister Meghana were still in shock. “The media attention on her case once again isn’t helping either.”
“They are not speaking to anyone,” he added.
Coming from a middle-class family living at Adoni in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district, Jaahnvi dreamt of completing postgraduation from the US and supporting her family.
For her family, the news of her demise came as a shock in January.
However, recent footage of the Seattle cop humiliating Jaahnvi reopened old wounds.
The video purportedly showed a Seattle police officer, Daniel Auderer, jesting and bursting into laughter over her death in the accident.
The university Chancellor, in a statement issued on the varsity’s official Facebook page on Friday, 15 September, said, “Her loss will be felt deeply by students, staff, and faculty. The university plans to award Jaahnavi her degree posthumously and present it to her family.”
“In the days following this tragedy, our Seattle campus community joined together in a vigil of remembrance and solidarity. At the time, our dean Dave Thurman wrote of Jaahnavi’s tremendous engagement, noting that all on our Seattle campus, ‘loved her bubbly laugh, sense of humor and infectious personality’,” the post read.
This week, Jaahnavi’s friends and loved ones were enduring the additional pain of the new developments related to the tragedy, he noted.
“Callous and insensitive remarks by a Seattle police officer have become public, reopening wounds and deepening our collective heartbreak,” Henderson wrote.
He acknowledged that the Indian student community across all Northeastern campuses has been especially impacted by this tragedy and its aftermath.
“We stand in solidarity with you and have every expectation that the ongoing investigations will bring a measure of justice and accountability,” he said.
“When a group of us are experiencing anguish, we are all in pain. These are the times when we must draw strength from each other and move forward in unity. Next week, we will convene campus gatherings to allow our community to join together in harmony,” he added.
The Indian student died on 23 January in Seattle, after being run over by a speeding police patrol cruiser while she was crossing the road.
She was immediately administered CPR but succumbed to her injuries after reaching the hospital. The speeding police cruiser was driven by officer Kevin Austin Dave.
He was driving at 74 mph (more than 119 kmh) on the way to a report of a drug overdose call.
In bodycam footage released on Monday, 11 September, by the Seattle Police Department, Officer Daniel Auderer laughed about the deadly crash and dismissed any implication Dave might be at fault or that a criminal investigation was necessary.
In the video, Auderer, who was captured on body camera while discussing the fatal collision, could be heard saying, “Yeah, just write a check. $11,000. She was 26 anyway, she had limited value.”
The video sparked widespread outrage. The Indian authorities, and civil rights groups in Seattle demanded a probe, and the suspension of the officers involved with immediate effect.
Speaking to South First earlier, Suribabu said their relative living in the USA has been taking care of the legal issues.
“The TANA (Telugu Association of North America) representatives also have contacted us. They too assured that they (officers) will be suspended,” he added.
(With PTI inputs)
May 20, 2024
May 20, 2024
May 18, 2024
May 18, 2024
May 18, 2024
May 17, 2024
