‘She dared to dream big but her life was cut short’: Video of US cop laughing at Andhra student Jaahnavi’s death reopens family’s wounds

“She was a very lively and affectionate girl. She was very good in her studies from childhood and worked very hard to fulfil her dream of going to the US,” said her grandfather K Suribabu from Adoni. “The news of her death shattered her parents, her sister, and the entire extended family. She dared to dream big and was able to fulfil it, but unfortunately her life was cut short in a horrible way.”

“The news in January was a shock that we never recovered from. But from time to time we keep receiving bad news. A few months ago it was about the autopsy report and the horrible injuries she suffered. Yesterday, we read about how the police officer there joked about her death. It is all very horrible, very depressing. It is heart wrenching, going through all the emotions again of her death,” he said.

Her mother quit her job as a teacher at a private school after Jaahnavi’s death. “She hasn’t recovered yet. She does not speak with anyone, does not eat or sleep properly,” Suribabu said.

Hailing from a middle-class family, Jaahnavi first studied at a government school before joining the Dr Jyothirmayi Degree College at Adoni. She completed her B.Com in 2019 and went to the US in September 2020 to pursue the two-year MS course, which was to finish this December.

She turned 23 on June 4. “While she was doing her degree course here, she had set her eyes on doing MS from a US university. She did everything on her own, with some help from a cousin sister who is settled in Seattle. She searched for courses offered by US universities online, arranged for her accommodation on her own, and made travel arrangements. Apart from providing her with some money, her parents do not know much about the outside world. She did everything herself,” said a close relative.

“She was doing well in her course, and the university campus even offered her a 3-hour part time job for 16 dollars an hour. She was looking forward to graduation and was discussing getting good offers. She was excited to earn and support her family here,” he said.

Jaahnavi was a role model not only for her 21-year-old sister who has just completed her BBM, but also for her young cousins, on whom she doted. “The kids are the most affected. They have not been told much about the circumstances of her death. They are all shattered. She was loved very much by all her uncles, aunts, and extended family members. She was a bond. She was missed when she went away to the US and now she will be missed forever,” a relative said.

Family members who watched the clip of SPD officer joking about Jaahnavi are upset about how casually the death was for authorities there. “It is very insensitive and heartless. We could not bear to hear what that officer said in that video clip. Her mother and sister have also come to know about the video that has gone viral and they are devastated. Both have not eaten since yesterday morning. People who watched the video keep visiting to give strength to the family but it is only making things worse,” a family member said.

Jaahnavi’s body was brought to her native village Halvi a week after her demise for cremation.