US varsity to award degree posthumously to Indian student killed by police vehicle

Seattle [US], September 16 (ANI): The Northeastern University will award Jaanhavi Kandula — the Indian-origin student who was killed after being struck by a Seattle police patrol vehicle — her degree posthumously.
The announcement was made by Chancellor of the University, Kenneth W Henderson who affirmed hope that the ongoing investigations will bring a measure of justice and accountability.
Months after her demise, the shocking incident gained widespread attention when a recording from a body-worn camera surfaced, exposing two union leaders from the Seattle Police Department callously joking about her tragic death.
“The university plans to award Jaahnavi her degree posthumously and present it to her family,” the university stated on its Facebook page.
Jaahnavi hailed from Andhra Pradesh. She was pursuing a master’s degree from the Northeastern University campus in South Lake Union and was set to graduate in December this year.
The Northeastern University added that the friends and loved ones of Jaanhavi are enduring the “additional pain” of new developments related to this tragedy. It also called the remarks by the Seattle police officer “callous and insensitive”.
“We also recognize that our 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,” the statement read.
The university remembered the time when the Seattle campus community joined together in a vigil of remembrance and solidarity, after the incident earlier this year.
It further stated that it will be convening campus gatherings to allow our community to join together in harmony next week.
On September 11, the Seattle Police Department released footage from Officer Daniel Auderer's body camera. Auderer left his body camera on after responding to the South Lake Union area where a marked patrol vehicle driven by another officer Kevin Dave struck and killed Indian-origin woman Jaahnavi Kandula, according to an NBC News report.
A day after the incident, the police said that the officer had been responding to a "priority one call." In the footage, Auderer, who serves as vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, is driving and can be heard talking about the accident that involved 23-year-old graduate student Kandula in a call with the guild's president Mike Solan.
In the video, Auderer can be heard saying "she is dead" before bursting out into laughter. Referring to Kandula, Auderer said, "No, it’s a regular person." Towards the end of the clip, he can be heard saying, through bursts of laughter, "Yeah, just write a check. Eleven thousand dollars. She was 26 anyway," misstating the age of the victim.
“He further said, ‘She had limited value,’" the New York Post reported. Auderer said that he did not believe a criminal investigation was being carried out. He said, "I mean, he was going 50 mph. That’s not out of control. That’s not reckless for a trained driver."
However, a report released in June revealed that Dave was driving 74 mph in a 25-mph zone while responding to a different “high-priority” call, NBC News reported citing KIRO 7.
Since the video was released, people have been calling out the police officers.
The Consulate General of India in San Francisco has raised concerns over the handling of the Indian-origin woman, Jaahnavi Kandula, who was killed by a police vehicle and has demanded a thorough investigation and action against those involved. (ANI)