Amitabh Kant, the former Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog, took to social media to announce that an Indian student passed away last week after being hit by a truck while cycling back to her flat in London.

In a post on LinkedIn, Cheistha Kochhar's father, retired Lieutenant General Dr SP Kochhar, stated that his daughter, 33, was a PhD candidate at the London School of Economics.

After working for the public policy think tank NITI Aayog, Kochhar was a PhD candidate in behavioural science at London School of Economics (LSE), ANI reports.

In his post on X, Amitabh Kant mentioned that he collaborated with Cheistha Kochhar on the Lifestyle For Empowerment (LiFE) programme at NITI Aayog. He characterised her as bright, brilliant brave and always full of life.

"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 (sic)," the post read.

Mission LiFE is an India-led global mass movement to nudge individual and community action to protect and preserve the environment.

In a post on LinkedIn, Chesitha’s father Lieutenant General Kochhar wrote, "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 devasted us and her large circle of friends."

Cheistha has been a PhD candidate at LSE since September last year, according to her LinkedIn profile. She previously served as a Senior Advisor in the National Behavioural Insights Unit of India, NITI Aayog, from June 2021 to April 2023. She previously served as an Associate Director at the Centre for Social and Behavioural Change.

She had attended Delhi University, Ashoka University, the Universities of Pennsylvania, and Chicago.