The homeless man, famous for his floral tributes to the Kalam bust, killed by jealous friend

Kochi: The man who went viral on social media after a video of him offering flowers to the APJ Abdul Kalam bust at Marine Drive (the walkway is also named APJ Abdul Kalam Marg) is no more.

G Sivadasan was killed by his friend who became jealous after the video became popular. The accused, Kaithepalli Parambil Rajesh alias Sudheer (40) hailing from Paravoor has been arrested. The body of the 63-year-old man was found at the Marine Drive walkway, where he was camping over the last 3 years.

“Ever since he became popular through social media, he used to be approached by people offering monetary help, including giving him a home. Sudheer who was also a close friend was blind with envy and made it a point to shower Sivadasan with a volley of abuses along with physically attacking him most nights,” says the cops. On 15th night a drunk Sudheer once again picked a fight with him and allegedly stomped his chest repetitively, breaking his ribs, resulting in severe internal bleeding. He lost consciousness.

The cops claim that the accused also tried to destroy all the evidence after the murder, including putting the blame on someone else. When the autopsy revealed that he suffered internal injuries from physical assault, the police became suspicious. They found evidence linking Rajesh to the murder, leading to his questioning and subsequent confession.

Sivadasan had claimed to have met the former president on two occasions.

It was the sight of his favourite leader's bust being left unattended that prompted Sivadasan to clean and offer flowers to it daily. This noble act soon got noticed on social media and he became famous overnight.

Sivadasan came to Kochi in 2015. It has been a daily routine for Sivadasan, a carpenter by profession, for the last three years to pay floral tributes to Kalam. He visits his family in Kollam once in a week, but never stays at home at night.

Greater Kochi Development Authority (GCDA) installed Kalam's bust at the Marine Drive, Kochi's most popular promenade, in 2016 to pay tribute to 'India's Missile Man'.

The cleaning staff of the GCDA, which maintains the Marine Drive and its surroundings, had confirmed Sivadasan's claim.

Kalam served as the 11th President of India between 2002 and 2007. He died on July 27, 2015, while delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management in Shillong, aged 83.