A controversy has erupted after a student was featured in a Milma advertisement without his family’s consent. The ad depicted the schoolboy, who had reportedly requested police at a barricade outside the Chief Minister’s official residence, Cliff House in Thiruvananthapuram, saying, “either let me pass or give me some food.” The advertisement used a caricature of the student with the caption, “Da Mone, you should chill a bit,” portraying his interaction with the police in a humourous light.

The ad appeared to celebrate the cleverness of the young boy, who had politely requested ‘food’ from the officers. However, the student’s father, Harisundar, informed that they had lodged a formal complaint to the authorities via email against Milma for publishing the ad without their consent.

Harisundar said the family only became aware of the advertisement after relatives from the United States and elsewhere contacted them. “It caused my son considerable mental distress. He was upset, saying he hadn’t spoken harshly to anyone. We were only trying to pacify him,” he added.

The student, who is in the fifth grade at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, is son of Harisundar, a management teacher, and Dr. Soumya, an HR manager at a private company in Technopark.

Harisundar also noted that the family had received messages from several well-wishers, including the BJP Kerala state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, congratulating their son, along with numerous phone calls.