• By Vivek Raj
  • Mon, 25 Mar 2024 11:20 AM (IST)
  • Source:JND
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Cheistha Kochhar, a 33-year-old Indian PhD student at the London School of Economics (LSE), died last week after being struck by a truck while cycling home.

Kochhar, who previously worked at NITI Aayog, India's policy think tank, was pursuing a PhD in behavioral science. According to reports, she was struck by a garbage truck on March 19 while cycling home. Her husband, who was cycling ahead of her, rushed her to the hospital, but she succumbed to her injuries.

The news was shared on social media by former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, who praised Kochhar's intelligence and enthusiasm.

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"She was bright, brilliant, and brave, always full of life," Kant wrote. "Gone away too early."

Cheistha's father, retired Lieutenant General Dr. SP Kochhar, also expressed his grief in a post on LinkedIn. He is currently in London making arrangements to bring his daughter's remains back to India.

“I am still in London trying to collect the remains of my daughter, Cheistha Kochhar. She was run over by a truck on 19 Mar while cycling back from LSE, where she was doing her PhD. It has devastated us and her large circle of friends," he wrote on X.

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Kochhar, a resident of Gurugram, Haryana before moving to London in September 2023, was a well-educated young woman. She completed her studies at Delhi University, Ashoka University, and the Universities of Pennsylvania and Chicago before being accepted into LSE's PhD program.