Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader and former MLA Simon Britto died at a private hospital in Thrissur, Kerala, on Monday. He was 64.

Britto was admitted to a private hospital in the city after he complained of a stomach ailment and died in the evening, The Hindu reported. He is survived by his wife Seena Bhasker and a daughter. Britto was a nominated MLA who represented the Anglo-Indian community in the Assembly from 2006 to 2011.

Britto was a leader of the Students’ Federation of India during his time at the Maharaja’s College in Ernakulam. In 1983, he was stabbed by political rivals. The attack left him paralysed below the hip and restricted him to a wheelchair.

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Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan tweeted a condolence message after receving the news of Britto’s death. “He was one the finest political leaders of this feneration,” Vijayan said. “A source of limitless inspiration, Comrade Britto’s death is an irreparable loss to the political and cultural life of Kerala.”

The Kochi-based leader authored two novels and was also working on a travelogue.