Dubai hotel cuts ties with chef Atul Kochhar after his tweet triggers row

Atul allegedly posted an 'anti-Islam' tweet which had triggered a row.

He later deleted it.

Atul said the Dubai hotel's decision was 'upsetting'.

“The decision by JW Marriott Marquis Dubai is deeply upsetting, however, I fully accept the great pain I have caused and the difficult position the hotel has been put in,” he wrote in an emailed statement to Gulf News tabloid!

“I have great respect for JW Marriott and in particular their staff in Dubai and wish the hotel well for the future. I hope my friends and well-wishers in Dubai will forgive me and continue to support me in the future,” he continued.

The chef used to operate the  Rang Mahal Indian restaurant at Dubai’s JW Marriott Marquis Hotel.

“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, General Manager of JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai said in an emailed statement as reported by Gulf News.

Atul Kochhar received flak after taking a dig at Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra for her tweet over an episode in American television series 'Quantico' that purportedly portrayed Hindu nationalists as terrorists, reported Khaleej Times.

Kochar, however, apologised for his tweet earlier.

He tweeted: "There is no justification for my tweet, a major error made in the heat of the moment on Sunday. 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."

Pooja Bhatt stands beside Priyanka:

Actress Pooja Bhatt has extended her support to Priyanka Chopra who was caught in the midst of a massive controversy over an episode of the latter's American television series Quantico.

The episode, which had left netizens furious, showcased how ‘Indian nationalists’ were plotting a terrorist attack in Manhattan with the intention of blaming it on Pakistan.

Supporting Priyanka, Pooja tweeted, "When Priyanka Chopra makes a mark for herself Internationally we claim her achievements as our own & then threaten to ban her films & make her apologise for a work of fiction that has been created by someone else. Can we please attempt to be larger than that?"

Following the row, Quantico star Priyanka came out with an apology.

Tweeting to her fans, the desi girl said: "I’m extremely saddened and sorry that some sentiments have been hurt by a recent episode of Quantico. That was not and would never be my intention. I sincerely apologise. I'm a proud Indian and that will never change."

The episode, which triggered the anger button among its fans, was aired on Jun 1.

The episode showed how an MIT professor acquired uranium that he planned to make a nuclear bomb.

The professor's target was an India-Pakistan summit to be held in New York City.

ABC Studios, makers of the TV series, too apologised for the episode.

"ABC Studios and  the executive producers of ‘Quantico’ would like to extend an apology to our audience who were offended by the most recent episode, ‘The Blood of Romeo.’ The episode has stirred a lot of emotion, much of which is unfairly aimed at Priyanka Chopra, who didn’t create the show, nor does she write or direct it. She has no involvement in the casting of the show or the storylines depicted in the series," the ABC Studios said in a statement issued as reported by The Washington Post.

Presently the third season of Quantico is going on.

Image: Atul Kocchar Twitter page