US Officer caught on camera laughing about Indian student killed in accident
Washington: A bodycam footage that was released recently showed a Seattle police officer laughing and joking about an Indian-origin woman who was struck and killed by a police patrol car in January this year, reports New York Post.
In the video, the officer Daniel Auderer can be heard discussing the investigation into the accident involving 23-year-old graduate student Jaahnavi Kandula, who was killed on January 23 by his colleague, Officer Kevin Dave.
"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 Seattle police department, which released the video in the interest of transparency said it will not comment on the matter until the Police Accountability Office concludes its investigation into the incident.
Following the release of the video, The Seattle Community Police Commission (CPC) on Monday issued a statement calling the conversation between Auderer and his colleague, "heartbreaking and shockingly insensitive."
Kandula, a native of the Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, died after being struck by a Seattle police patrol vehicle in South Lake Union. According to the statement of the Seattle police department, the officer driving the marked patrol SUV was travelling northbound on Dexter Avenue North when responding with Seattle Fire Department to a "priority one call." The vehicle hit the female pedestrian, crossing from east to west in the crosswalk.
Auderer on the call reported the officer was driving his car at 50 MPH and was not ''out of control''. However, the police investigation found that the car was at 74 MPH when it hit Kandula. The cause of death was multiple blunt-force injuries, King County Medical Examiner's Office said.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
