New Delhi: A Dubai hotel has terminated the services of celebrity chef Atul Kochhar for his ‘anti-Islam’ comment in response to a tweet by actor Priyanka Chopra.
The Michelin-starred chef operated the award-winning Rang Mahal India restaurant at Dubai’s JW Marriot Marquis Hotel.
Bill Keffer, the general manager of JW Marriott Marquis Hotel was quoted saying by Gulf News: “Following the recent comments made by Chef Atul Kochhar, we have taken the decision to end our agreement with him for Rang Mahal. With the termination of our agreement, Chef Atul will no longer be associated with the restaurant.”
Kochhar faced criticism after he took a dig at Chopra for her tweet over a Quantico episode that portrayed Hindu nationalists as terrorists, the Khaleej Times reported on Tuesday.
“It's sad to see that you have not respected the sentiments of Hindus who have been terrorised by Islam over 2,000 years. Shame on You (sic),” the chef tweeted on Sunday.
However, he later deleted the tweet and put out an apology, saying the “major error” was “made in the heat of the moment on Sunday”.
“There is no justification for my tweet ... I fully recognise my inaccuracies that Islam was founded around 1,400 years ago and I sincerely apologise. I am not Islamophobic, I deeply regret my comments that have offended many,” he wrote.
The ‘anti-Islam’ tweet had created furore on social media, with twitterati calling for firing the chef.
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