DUBAI: Following his inflammatory tweet against Islam , Dubai’s JW Marriott Hotel has cut ties with the prominent Indian-origin chef Atul Kochhar.
“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,” Bill Keffer, the general manager of JW Marriott Marquis Hotel was quoted saying by Gulf News.
The statement further said: “At the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai we pride ourselves on creating a culture of diversity and inclusion for our guests and associates across the hotel and our restaurants. We also remain committed to delivering the traditional culinary experience and high service standards that Rang Mahal is renowned for.”
Just got this mail from @JWDubaiMarquis they have terminated the services of Atul Kochhar. Bigotry is non negotiable pic.twitter.com/BiwdYaowLB
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) June 13, 2018
On Sunday, the Michelin-star chef Atul Kochhar of the Rang Mahal restaurant at the JW Marriot Marquis hotel in Dubai received flak after taking a dig at actress Priyanka 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),” Mr Kochhar tweeted on Sunday.
His communal and hateful comments towards Muslims created a furore on social media, with twitterati calling for firing of the chef.
ALSO READ: Prominent Dubai chef Atul Kochhar slammed over ‘anti-Islam’ tweet
Popular commentator and Arab journalist Khaled Almaeena tweeted: “You (Kochhar) have offended me..As a person who loves India its people no matter what their caste or creed. As a secular and liberal, it truly is a horror statement.”
Some said they would boycott the restaurant. “Chef celebrity showed his true colours. I won’t eat here after reading the racist tweets by the head chef,” a UAE resident posted on his Facebook page.