The police reported that Chesitha Kochhar was struck by a garbage truck, and the driver is cooperating with their investigation.
Last week, a truck ran over a 33-year-old Indian student who was riding back to her London home. Cheistha Kochhar was a PhD candidate at the London School of Economics. She had previously worked for the public policy think-thank NITI Aayog.
In an online message, Amitabh Kant, the former CEO of NITI Aayog, announced her death.
“Cheistha Kochar and I worked on the @NITIAayog #LIFE initiative. She had gone to the LSE to complete her Ph.D. in behavioural science while working in the #Nudge unit. Died while riding in a horrible traffic accident in London. She was always vibrant, intelligent, bold, and full of life. passed away too soon. Mr. Kant wrote on X, “RIP.
On March 19, Kochhar was hit by a garbage truck. Her husband, Prashant, was in front of her when the accident happened and quickly came to her aid. Unfortunately, she passed away on the spot.
In order to post testimonies and memories with her, her father, Lt Gen SP Kochhar (retired), gave a link on LinkedIn. He is currently in London collecting her body.
“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.
After living in Gurugram for a while, Cheistha Kochhar moved to London in September of last year to attend the London School of Economics to pursue a PhD in organizational behavior management. She has previously attended the Universities of Pennsylvania, Chicago, Ashoka, and Delhi.
According to her LinkedIn profile, she was a senior advisor at the National Behavioural Insights Unit of India at NITI Aayog from 2021 to 2023.
