Priyanka Chopra reacts to student Jaahnavi Kandula's tragic death in US: 'A life is a life'

Actor Priyanka Chopra has reacted to the tragic death of Jaahnavi Kandula, the 23-year-old student who died earlier this year after being struck by a high-speed police car in Seattle, US. Kandula passed away on January 23 after she was hit by a high-speed Seattle police patrol car. Her death came to limelight again recently after a body-cam footage was made public.

The clipshowed a vice president of the police union joking and laughing about Jaahnavi's death. His inappropriate reaction to Kandula's death led to strong reactions from the people. Now, Priyanka, who has been living in the US for years now, has also reacted to Jaahnavi’s death.

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Sharing a screengrab of the People article on an investigation of the accident, Priyanka wrote, "It’s appalling to learn that such a tragic incident that occurred 9 months ago is only now coming to light. A life is only a life. It has no monetary worth."



Before Priyanka, actor Farhan Akhtar condoled Jaahnavi's death.He wrote in a post shared on social media, "#JaahnaviKandula. We didn't know each other, but I know that as a student preparing to make a place for herself in the world, your potential was limitless and your value immeasurable. Condolences to your family. RIP."

What happened at the time of the accident?

As per the Seattle Times, Kandula was killed after being hit by a police car, which was driven by police officer Kevin Dave at a speed of nearly 120 kmph. After the deadly collision, Kandula was rushed to the medical centre but succumbed to her injuries.

Her death came to light after bodycam footage was released that showed the police officer joking and laughing over her death.

In the clip that was released on Sept 11, Officer Daniel Auderer can be heard joking that the student, Jaahnavi Kandula, had "limited value" and the city should "just write a check".

"She is dead," Auderer says before bursting out laughing. "No, it’s a regular person," he says, referring to Kandula, according to New York Post.

"Yeah, just write a check. 11,000 dollars. She was 26 anyway," he said, misstating the victim’s age. "She had limited value."

Who was Jaahnavi Kandula?

Jaahnavi Kandula, the 23-year-old student hailed from the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. She was pursuing a master's degree in information systems from the Northeastern University campus in South Lake Union. She went to the US in 2021.

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