An inquest revealed that Aravindan Balakrishnan, an 81-year-old Maoist cult leader who committed numerous sexual assaults and kept his daughter imprisoned for 30 years, was found dead in his prison cell. Known as “Comrade Bala,” Balakrishnan convinced his followers that he possessed divine powers and could read minds.
In 2016, Southwark Crown Court sentenced him to 23 years in prison. In April 2022, a fellow inmate discovered him dead in his cell at HMP Dartmoor in Devon. Balakrishnan was housed in a wing for inmates in poor health or considered vulnerable.
The inquest at Devon Coroner’s Court revealed that Balakrishnan had diabetes and vascular dementia and was described as frail. Prison staff attempted CPR upon being alerted but could not revive him.
Devon and Cornwall Police were notified of his sudden death, but no suspicious circumstances were found. Pathologist Dr Russell Delaney determined that Balakrishnan died from a lower respiratory tract infection, with secondary causes including vascular dementia, diabetes, and ischemic heart disease. There were no external injuries, and a Covid-19 test was negative.
Philip Spinney, senior coroner for Devon, Plymouth, and Torbay, concluded that Balakrishnan died of natural causes on April 8, 2022, in his cell at HMP Dartmoor. No family members attended the brief hearing at County Hall in Exeter.
Balakrishnan, previously residing in Enfield, London, was convicted of four counts of rape, six counts of indecent assault, two counts of actual bodily harm, cruelty to a child under 16, and false imprisonment.
After his sentencing, his daughter Katy Morgan-Davies waived her anonymity to speak about the psychological and physical abuse she suffered at her father’s hands, describing it as “dehumanising and degrading.”
Born in Kerala, India, Balakrishnan was raised in Singapore after his father moved there to work at a British Naval Base. He idolized tyrants such as Mao Zedong, Joseph Stalin, Pol Pot, and Saddam Hussein, aspiring to surpass them.
Balakrishnan led a small cult in south London, the Workers’ Institute of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought, with strict control. He isolated his daughter from others and sexually assaulted two female followers. To maintain control, he fabricated an invisible war machine named Jackie, which he claimed could kill or cause earthquakes if disobeyed.
