Cyclist, 33, killed after being struck by bin lorry behind husband in central London

‘In the short span she had on this planet, she touched tens of thousands of people in extremely meaningful ways,’ Cheistha Kochhar’s family said

Cheistha Kochhar, 33, was named as the cyclist killed in the collision (Met Police/Independent)

The family of an academic killed after being struck by a bin lorry as she cycled home have spoken of their “incomprehensible loss”.

Cheistha Kochhar, 33, died after being struck in Clerkenwell Road, near the junction with Farringdon Road, at around 8.20pm on Tuesday, 19 March.

The Times of India reported her husband, a software engineer, was just a few yards ahead of her on his own bike when she was hit.

Prashant, who she had been married to for one year, described hearing a loud thud before turning back to help his wife who had suffered fatal injuries.

The junction at Clerkenwell Road in central London (Barney Davis)

Cheistha’s family said she had worked in the Indian prime minister’s office and at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, before moving to the UK as a PhD scholar at the London School of Economics.

Her family paid tribute to Cheistha, who was born in Bareilly, India, in an emotional statement: “Cheistha’s deep intelligence and passions were belied by her sprightly demeanour and the consummate ease with which she eased people out of their shells to make friends with her.

“She always had a hug to spare for anyone and she lived her life with the principle that it was more important to be the kindest person in the room, than to be the smartest person in the room. In the short span she had on this planet, she touched tens of thousands of people in extremely meaningful ways and the magnitude of this loss is incomprehensible.”

A fire engine rushing through the Clerkenwell junction (Barney Davis/The Independent)

Her family listed her achievements, highlighting how she had worked to improve the lives of people living in poverty in New Delhi and how she had hoped to return to India and change lives after studying in the British capital.

They added: “In spite of her experience as a practitioner and an executive, she had the heart of an academician, having worked and collaborated with Nobel laureates, and she finally came to London as a PhD Scholar in LSE. Even though these were early stages of her PhD, she was sure to work on studying and improving collaboration between various pro-social organisations to tackle the grand challenges that countries from the Global South face.

“She was an ardent patriot and wanted to bring all her expertise back to India to change lives.”

Her father told The Times of India: “Not only was she intelligent and hard-working, she was compassionate too. Her good nature was infectious.

“She was popular and helpful and made a mark for herself at a young age. She was a nationalist. She was very clear in her mind she would get educated in the UK and then go back to India. We are here to see that we take her remains back to India.”

Police continue to appeal for witnesses and any road users with dashcam footage following the collision.

A Met Police spokesman said: “Cheistha was cycling when she was involved in a collision with a refuse lorry – the lorry stopped at the scene and the driver is helping police with their enquiries.”

There has been no arrest and enquiries into the circumstances continue.

Anyone who witnessed this incident, or road users who have footage which captured events, are asked to call 101 or 020 8246 9820 @MetCC and quote CAD6903/19Mar.