Jaahnavi death: Online plea seeks dismissal of US cop

Washington, September 16

An online petition signed by thousands of people has sought termination of Seattle Police Department, Officer Daniel Auderer, who was found making insensitive comments after the horrific death of Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula.

However, the Seattle Police Officers’ Guild has defended the callous remarks of its official, saying some viral videos of police actions shared by media were taken “out of context”.

By Friday night, the petition on Change.org had more than 6,700 signatures. “Let us stand united against those who abuse power and demand justice for Jaahnavi and all victims who have suffered due to Daniel Auderer’s actions,” the petition says.

Seattle Council member Kshama Sawant in a statement called for an immediate, independent, public investigation into this outrage.