Atul Kochhar, a popular Indian-origin chef in the United Arab Emirates, was yesterday sacked by a Dubai hotel after he courted controversy by posting an anti-Islam tweet that caused outrage on social media.

Kochhar, 48, the second Indian to receive a Michelin star, is well known for his Rang Mahal restaurant at the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel, Dubai. He caused a furor after taking a dig at Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra over an episode in American television series Quantico that purportedly portrayed Hindu nationalists as terrorists.