Shiv Sena declared a reward of Rs 1 lakh for slapping Bollywood actor Aamir Khan, for his comment on the 'growing intolerance' in the country. Shiv Sena, however, later said the remark was not the official view of the party, reports Hindustan Times.

"Any person who slaps Aamir Khan will be rewarded Rs 1 lakh by the Shiv Sena. This is important because no one living in our country should dare to say anything against India. Anyone from the hotel staff or the film crew can slap him and take the reward," Punjab Shiv Sena chief Rajeev Tandon said on Wednesday.

According to the report, Shiv Sena later denied any connection with the comment made in Ludhiana.

The reward announcement allegedly came from protesting Shiv Sena workers near a 5-star hotel in Ludhiana, Punjab where Khan and his crew were staying during the shoot of 'Dangal'. The enraged protesters burnt Khan's posters and disrupted traffic outside the hotel.

"The hotel employees were told to remain alert to avoid any suspicious person reaching near Aamir's room," a hotel executive was quoted by The Indian Express as saying after the Shiv Sena's announcement.

At a New Delhi awards event earlier this week, Aamir spoke of "growing despondency" in India, he has felt recently. "When I sit at home and talk to Kiran, for the first time she said, 'Should we move out of India?' Now that's a very disastrous and a big comment to make to me," he remarked.

Trying to put to rest the huge row over his comment, Khan again on Wednesday said he and his wife loved India and had no intention of leaving the country.

As protesters and the media started following him after his remarks, Khan's security has been beefed up by the Punjab Police.

"Policemen have been deployed at the hotel. A team of quick reaction team is also keeping a close watch," Ludhiana assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Rupinder Kaur Saran said.