Lock Upp 2 saw contestants opening up about their most personal secrets to survive the game. For Akanksha Chamola, her marriage to Gaurav Khanna became one of the biggest talking points of the season after she revealed that they were heading for divorce. However, some of her subsequent remarks about Gaurav drew criticism online, particularly her comment that she would have preferred her parents or even her dog to visit her on the show instead of him. Now, Akanksha has addressed the backlash and hit back at trolls over what she called “selective moral policing”.
Akanksha Chamola on Gaurav Khanna’s Lock Upp 2 visit
In an interview with Zoom, Akanksha explained the context behind her remark and said, “At that point, I was getting divorced from Gaurav, so I didn’t want the person you are separating from to come and support you. Because you don’t know, right, in what way they have come. And vo apna naam clear karne ke liye vaha pe aaye the (He came to clear his name). He was not there to support me because he didn’t give me any information for me to feel that ‘Oh, I am doing really well with the game’. No, that was not the thing that had happened.”
She also questioned why people were offended by her comparison involving Gaurav but did not take similar offence when she mentioned her parents and dog. She argued that people were choosing to focus only on the part of her statement that involved Gaurav.
Calling out what she described as selective moral policing, Akanksha said, “Don’t moral-police everything so much. And if you are going to do it, then do it for everything. Don’t do it selectively. Then applaud the fact that she is getting divorced from Gaurav, but she has placed him on the same level as her parents. Don’t get offended only on Gaurav Khanna’s name. Don’t be picky. You want to morally police me, do that. Accepted. But don’t get selective. If you want to lynch me, lynch me for all the right reasons. Don’t be selective about it. That’s what I am saying. I am ready to apologise if I am wrong, but prove it to me that I am wrong.”
What did Akanksha Chamola say?
After Akanksha revealed on the premiere of Lock Upp 2 that she and Gaurav were heading for divorce, Gaurav entered the show as a guest in the third week. He told Akanksha that her revelation had shocked their families and that he had to deal with both sides of the family following the announcement.
Later, towards the finale, Akanksha was heard telling one of her fellow contestants, “I would have preferred agar meri mummy ya papa koi aate, ya mera kutta hi aa jata (if my parents had come or even my dog).”
Akanksha and Gaurav Khanna got married in 2016 after reportedly meeting and falling in love during an audition. They tied the knot on November 24, 2016, in a lavish three-day wedding celebration in Gaurav’s hometown, Kanpur. The couple have been living separately for almost a year and are yet to sign the divorce papers.