Bal Thackeray appreciates stadium ban on Shahrukh Khan

Says pressure from New Delhi commuted the sentence to five years, urges it to be converted into a lifetime ban.

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray on Saturday criticised Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan for what he termed was his 'misdemeanour' at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday night and backed the Mumbai Cricket Association's (MCA) decision to ban him from the stadium for five years.

Lashing out at Khan in his party mouthpiece 'Saamna', Thackeray said Khan was insulted several times by the US security officials, but he kept quiet then. "He did not lose his cool there, but when a poor security guard asked him to follow rules, he threatened to bury him alive. What kind of language is this?" Thackeray asked.

Thackeray while appreciating the five-year ban on Khan's entry to the Wankhede Stadum, called for a lifetime ban to be imposed on him. The Shiv Sena supremo also alleged that the ban had been reduced to five years due to pressure from New Delhi.

"If pressure comes from Delhi, it will be further reduced to five minutes," he quipped.

The MCA had on Friday slapped a ban for five years on Khan from entering the Wankhede Stadium over his alleged bad behaviour at the stadium.

Khan, who is also the co-owner of Indian Premier League (IPl) team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), had allegedly misbehaved with security personnel and MCA officials on Wednesday night.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Khan claimed the security guards manhandled the children he had brought to the stadium, which provoked him to protest.