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Indian PhD Student, Daughter Of Retired Lt Gen, Dies After Being Hit By Truck In London

Cheistha Kochar was hit by a garbage truck on March 19 while she was cycling home and her husband Prashant, who was also cycling and was ahead of her during the accident, rushed her to the hospital. She could not survive.

Kochar was pursuing a PhD in Behavioural Science from LSE and had worked at NITI Aayog
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A 33-year-old Indian student studying in London School of Economics (LSE) died after being run over by a truck in London last week. The deceased has been identified Cheistha Kochhar, Lieutenant General Dr SP Kochhar, Director General at Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).

Kochar was pursuing a PhD in Behavioural Science from LSE and had worked at NITI Aayog, according to a Hindustan Times report.

Cheistha Kochar was hit by a garbage truck on March 19 while she was cycling home and her husband Prashant, who was cycling ahead of her during the accident, rushed her to the hospital. She could not survive.

Her father, retired Lieutenant General Dr SP Kochhar, wrote an emotional LinkedIn post remembering his daughter.

“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 LinkdIn.

Cheistha Kochchar was a resident of Haryana's Gurugram and had reportedly moved to London in September 2023 after completing her studies at Delhi University, Ashoka University, and the Universities of Pennsylvania and Chicago.

Former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant posted the news of Kochar's death on microblogging platform X.

"Cheistha Kochar worked with me on the #LIFE programme in @NITIAayog. She was in the #Nudge unit and had gone to do her Ph.D in behavioural science at #LSE. Passed away in a terrible traffic incident while cycling in London. She was bright, brilliant & brave and always full of life. Gone away too early. RIP," Amitabh Kant said.