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Seattle (PTI): Jaahnavi Kandula, the Indian student who was struck and killed by a speeding police car here will be awarded her master's degree posthumously, the Chancellor of Northeastern University has announced, hoping that the ongoing probe will bring a measure of justice and accountability.

Kandula, a 23-year-old student at Washington State's Northeastern University was struck at a pedestrian crossing on the night of January 23.

Kandula was set to graduate this coming December with a master's degree in information systems from the Seattle campus of Northeastern University. Her family said she was working toward supporting her mother in India.

She was struck by a police vehicle driven by Officer Kevin Dave when she was crossing a street. He was driving 74 mph (more than 119 kmh) on the way to a report of a drug overdose call.

In bodycam footage released on Monday 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 is captured on body camera while discussing the fatal collision, can be heard saying, "Yeah, just write a check. USD 11,000. She was 26 anyway, she had limited value."

Saddened by Kandula's death, Kenneth W. Henderson, Chancellor of Northeastern University in a statement issued on the varsity's official Facebook page on Friday said that." 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 are enduring the additional pain of new developments related to this 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," the Chancellor of Northeastern University said in the statement.

"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.

India has taken up Kandula's case with the US government as well as with local officials in Washington state.

"Recent reports including in the media of the handling of Ms Jaahnavi Kandula's death in a road accident in Seattle in January are deeply troubling," the Consulate General of India in San Francisco tweeted on Wednesday.

"We have taken up the matter strongly with local authorities in Seattle & Washington State as well as senior officials in Washington DC for a thorough investigation & action against those involved in this tragic case," the mission said.

The Consulate and the Embassy will continue to closely follow up on this matter with all concerned authorities, it added.

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Noida: India TV editor-in-chief Rajat Sharma has drawn sharp criticism on social media following remarks he made on air attributing Delhi’s air pollution partly to its geographical location and the Aravalli hill range.

Speaking during a recent episode of his prime-time show Aaj Ki Baat, Sharma said Delhi’s geography plays a major role in trapping polluted air.

“Geographical location is the main reason. Delhi is a big city and its shape is like a bowl, surrounded by the Aravalli hills on three sides. As a result, polluted air gets trapped and cannot disperse easily. Therefore, the problem of pollution in Delhi cannot be solved in one year or in any particular season,” he said.

His comments came amid a severe deterioration in air quality in the national capital. On Sunday morning, December 21, Delhi woke up to a thick blanket of toxic smog, sharply reducing visibility and causing widespread discomfort. The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 390 around 7 a.m., placing it in the ‘very poor’ category, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Dense fog and smog also disrupted flight operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA). As many as 110 flights were cancelled, while over 370 flights were delayed due to poor visibility. Of the cancelled services, 59 were arriving flights and 51 were departures. Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 showed that departing flights faced an average delay of around 26 minutes.

Netizens troll Sharma

One user wrote on X, “Rajat Sharma is saying due to the Aravalli hills, there is air pollution in Delhi. He is defending mining and destroying the Aravalli hills like this. How can these people call themselves journalists?”

Another user accused him of political hypocrisy, comparing his earlier criticism of the Delhi government with his current remarks, and wrote, “In 2023 he blamed Arvind Kejriwal for Delhi air pollution. In 2025, he is blaming the Aravalli hills because BJP is in power. Hypocrisy = 100%, Journalism = 00%.”

Others termed the comments an example of the “godi media” narrative, alleging that geography was being blamed instead of governance, industrial emissions, vehicular pollution, construction dust, and stubble burning. “When they fail to question power or policy, they conveniently shift the blame to nature,” another post read.

“Friends, what can one even say about today’s godi media? According to them, the reason for Delhi’s pollution is that the Aravalli hills surround the city from three sides, trapping polluted air inside. Seriously? So now Sudhir Chaudhary and Rajat Sharma want us to believe that nature itself is to blame? When they fail to question power or policy, they conveniently shift the blame to geography. Apparently, it’s not years of environmental destruction or administrative failure—it’s the Aravalli hills! Does this explanation make any sense at all?,” wrote another.

What is the Aravali issue?

The controversy arises over the Union government’s revised definition of what constitutes the Aravalli hills.

The decision has drawn protests involving environmental activists across Haryana, Rajasthan, and parts of the Delhi-NCR region, who have raised concerns that the new definition could weaken protection for one of the world’s oldest mountain ranges.

Under the revised definition, an “Aravalli hill” is described as any landform in designated Aravalli districts with an elevation of 100 metres or more above local relief, while an “Aravalli range” is defined as a cluster of two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other. Activists fear this could open the door for mining, construction, and commercial activities in previously protected areas.

Environmentalists argue that the Aravalli range serves as a natural barrier against desertification, dust storms, and pollution, and plays a vital role in maintaining ecological balance in the Delhi-NCR region.

They have demanded that the entire Aravalli range be declared a fully protected area with strict conservation measures.

Meanwhile, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has stated that the new definition, accepted by the Supreme Court based on a Centre-led panel’s recommendations, would not result in any relaxation of mining norms in the Aravalli region.

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