Noxious Substance: Channa Masala

Naveen Polapady Dept: Apparently, noxious substance is a euphemism for masala spices. Maroli s owner, Naveen Polapady, was charged with administering a noxious substance after he tried to fend off an alleged thief behind his restaurant last August by throwing masala powder in his face. I think Polapady has a human rights complaint here; surely calling Indian spices noxious constitutes cultural insensitivity, according to The Star. This was someone trying to defend his property and business, after apparently having suffered a number of break-ins and attempted break-ins in previous months. It is not unlike the case of David Chen, the grocery store owner who found himself charged after he chased down and tied up a shoplifter and i ll admit my bias upfront: I eat at Maroli, a restaurant in the Annex, fairly frequently. I m a vegetarian and consider their channa masala sheer heaven. And for those nights when you ve got a yen for a noxious substance but are feeling too lazy to walk, they deliver. I understand the concerns the police have about people getting involved in a dangerous situation, about the escalation of violence. But this was not vigilantism, someone carrying out a sentence after the justice system failed. This was not Neighborhood Watch gone awry, as in the tragedy of Trayvon Martin. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.