Aravindan Balakrishnan, known as ‘Comrade Bala’ in Communist-Maoist circles, has died in jail in UK.
Born in Kerala, Balakrishnan ran a Maoist cult in London and was sentenced to 23 years in jail by a UK court for a series of sexual assaults.
A Prison Service spokesperson said: “HMP Dartmoor prisoner Aravindan Balakrishnan died in custody on 8 April. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has been informed.”
He was sentenced for six counts of indecent assault, four counts of rape and two counts of actual bodily harm back in 2016. At his trial, Balakrishnan was convicted of offences including child cruelty, false imprisonment and assault and jurors hears he had raped two of his followers.
The 81-year-old found guilty of “brutal” violence died in custody at HMP Dartmoor prison in south-west England on Friday, the UK Prison Service said.
Detective chief superintendent Tom Manson, from the Metropolitan Police’s Organised Crime Command, said at the time: “It seems extraordinary that Balakrishnan could command such control over so many people, however all of the victims have told us in great detail that they very much believed his claims of power and greatness and the threats he made to them. They all described feelings of fear and being totally controlled him.”
“All of the women have faced huge challenges in adapting to day-to-day life since they left Balakrishnan’s control but with the support of a number of charities and professionals are making exceptional progress and their bravery deserves recognition and praise,” he added.
According to reports, Balakrishnan born in Mayyanad, Kollam in Kerala, lived and grew up in Singapore and Malaysia before moving to the UK in 1963 to study at the London School of Economics.
The comrade had kept his daughter in captivity for over 30 years of her life. The daughter later described her situation in court as “horrible, dehumanising and degrading”.
Speaking to the New Indian Express, his daughter Katy Morgan-Davies said, “My feelings are mixed, to be honest. He was not the best dad as is well known but he is still my dad at the end of the day, and I’m sorry he passed away before there was a chance of making it.” Katy Morgan, now 39, escaped from his 30-year-long torture in 2013.
“He was born in Mayyanad. He left for Singapore with his mother when he was 8, to meet his father who was a soldier there,” said Katy. Katy’s mother Sian Davies, a follower of Arvindan Balakrishnan, was also a victim of his tortures. In 1997, she died under mysterious circumstances.
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