The founder of the Indian-American Advocacy Council opened up on the recent $29 million settlement that the Seattle authorities reached with the family of Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula, run over by a speeding police car in 2023, and said there is more to the story. And the settlement should not give a false picture of the realities in America.
"The cop who ran over and killed her joked about it, saying she had “limited value.” He wasn’t even fired at the time. We’ve spoken about the massive injustice faced by Jaahnavi and her family multiple times," IAAC founder Sidharth posted.
"After relentless public pressure, we are finally starting to see some measure of justice for Jaahnavi Kandula. Please don’t have a false picture of the realities in America," Sidharth added.
The comment came in reaction to social media users going gaga over Seattle giving a generous amount compared to what could have happened in India. "In India, people fall into sewage pits & die like insects every single day. Forget compensation- no one ever goes to jail!" the post to which Sidhath reacted said.
Who was Jaahnavi Kandula?
23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula was run over by a police car in January 2023 when she was returning from her campus of Northeastern University, where she was studying MS in Information Systems. The South Asian community in Seattle pursued the case as the remorseless police officer was found joking about Kandula's death. As a result of the ongoing lawsuit, the Seattle city authorities agreed to pay $29 million to the family.
Kevin Dave was fired in 2025, Auderer said his comments were taken out of context
Two years after hitting Kandula, officer Kevin Dave was fired in January 2025. Dave, that night, was overspeeding as he was on his way to get to a possible overdose victim. Another police officer, Daniel Auderer, was sent to the scene to determine if Dave was under the influence. It was Auderer who laughed and joked about Kandula's death and said the authorities should just write a check. It was captured by his bodycam which he forgot to turn off when he was making these comments. Auderer was also fired after the investigation but he challenged the decision and said his comments were taken out of context which he was mocking city attorneys and was not downplaying the death.
