ScoutOP’s team has defended the gaming influencer after a recent Weekend Ka Vaar episode of Bigg Boss 20 triggered a backlash over his closeness with fellow contestant Love Gill. It said ScoutOP had always viewed their relationship as a brother-sister bond and urged viewers to judge his journey in its entirety.
The controversy began after director Rohit Shetty, who hosted the episode in place of Salman Khan, questioned ScoutOP and Love about their interactions. ScoutOP’s girlfriend, gaming influencer Kaashvi Hiranandani, also confronted him on the show and accused Love of manipulating him. Kaashvi later apologised for her remarks, while Love’s team condemned what it called the character assassination of the contestant.
In an Instagram post titled “An Open Statement to the ScoutArmy and the Broader Community”, ScoutOP’s team said it wanted to address the narrative surrounding him with “clarity, maturity, and perspective” following the Weekend Ka Vaar episode.
The team described ScoutOP as “kind, genuine, and pure-hearted” and said he had no wrong intentions. It maintained that he had always considered Love a sister.
“Inside the Bigg Boss house, completely cut off from the outside world, he had no way of knowing how those interactions were being perceived beyond the walls of the house,” the statement said.
The team added that ScoutOP had been navigating relationships, emotions and constant pressure without knowing what was happening outside. It said he could act only on the information available to him and asked viewers to consider that context before judging his intentions.
According to the statement, Kaashvi chose to meet ScoutOP because she understood him well. The team said her intention was not to question his character but to explain the seriousness of how the situation was being perceived outside the house.
It said Kaashvi also wanted ScoutOP to regain perspective and focus on “his own journey and the trophy”. The team expressed disappointment over how quickly his equation with someone he had always supported had changed. It also addressed suggestions that he could intentionally damage another person’s career.
“To suggest that someone who has consistently supported others with honesty and loyalty could intentionally harm another person’s career is an extremely serious allegation. Anyone who truly knows Scout knows that this is simply not the person he is,” the statement said.
ScoutOP’s team thanked the #ScoutArmy and the wider gaming community for supporting him. It said the community’s unity “speaks louder than any narrative” and urged supporters not to let assumptions or selected moments overshadow his years of work, humility, loyalty and authenticity.
“Trust Scout. Trust his character. Let his journey be judged in its entirety, not by a single misunderstanding,” the team said. It called for patience, dignity and continued support as ScoutOP remained focused on his journey and the trophy.
Kaashvi apologises for remarks about Love
During Weekend Ka Vaar, Kaashvi questioned Love’s closeness with ScoutOP and suggested that Love had “laid a trap”, “manipulated” and used him. Love and ScoutOP, however, maintained that they shared a platonic, sibling-like bond.
Kaashvi’s comments drew criticism from viewers who accused her of targeting Love and portraying her negatively. She later said she had become carried away and should have chosen her words more carefully.
Kaashvi wrote: “My intention was to address Scout, call out the mistakes I felt he had made, and hold him accountable for his actions. However, in doing so, I realise that some of the words I used were insensitive towards other people involved.”
She said her emotions did not give her the right to judge another person’s character or intentions. Kaashvi also denied wanting to direct hate towards Love or encourage others to target her.
“I never intended to direct hate towards another woman or encourage anyone to target her. I understand that my words carry weight, and I take responsibility for how they may have come across,” she said.
Kaashvi said social media posts claiming that Love knew what she was doing and was following a strategy had affected her emotions. She acknowledged that she should have known better and that it was not her place to tell Love how to behave.
“It’s not my place to tell her anything. I recognise that and truly apologise to everyone I’ve hurt,” she said.
Love Gill’s team responds to backlash
on her Instagram stories, describing the scrutiny against her as a “public execution of her character”. It said no woman should have to pay for a man’s choices and criticised what it described as a double standard that portrayed a woman as a “calculated temptress” while treating a grown man as a victim.
The team maintained that Love’s boundaries had been clear from the first day and reiterated that she viewed ScoutOP strictly as a brother. It also criticised commentators and influencers for turning her pain into content for headlines and views, saying the online backlash had left her family shattered.
“Imagine being a mother, sitting at home, helpless as you watch the world ruthlessly vilify the daughter you raised. Imagine watching her take the blame for a man’s uncurbed emotions, while opportunistic influencers and clout-chasers turn her pain into content for likes, views, and headlines. Have we completely stripped away our humanity? Do we even care what happens to a soul when it’s thrown under the bus so brutally?” the statement read.
Rohit questioned ScoutOP and Love about their growing closeness during Weekend Ka Vaar. Their physical interactions, including massaging each other’s hands, feet and neck, had drawn attention. He warned them to remain within limits and consider how their equation was being portrayed and perceived on national television.
During an earlier Weekend Ka Vaar episode, Salman had indirectly asked Love whether she would be comfortable with a sibling touching her in that manner. Love said she would be comfortable.
ScoutOP and Love have been part of the same group since the first day, along with Aamrapali Dubey, Yung DSA and Aasif Khan. New episodes of Bigg Boss 20 stream on JioHotstar at 9 pm and air on Colors TV at 10:30 pm.