Global InformationErwadi fire incident information
 Charred remains of the victims and the Moideen Badusha Mental Home at Erwadi | |
| Date | 6 August 2001[1] |
|---|---|
| Location | Erwadi, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Casualties | |
| 28 dead | |
The 2001 Erwadi fire incident was an incident that occurred on 6 August 2001, when 28 inmates of a faith-based mental asylum died in the fire. All these inmates were bound by chains at the Moideen Badusha Mental Home in Erwadi village in Tamil Nadu, India.[2][3]
A large number of mental homes existed in Erwadi which was famous for the dargah of Quthbus Sultan Syed Ibrahim Shaheed Valiyullah, from Medina, Saudi Arabia who came to India to propagate Islam. Various people believe that holy water from the dargah and oil from the lamp burning there have the power to cure all illnesses, especially mental problems. The treatment also included frequent caning, beatings supposedly to "drive away the evil". During the day, patients were tied to trees with thick ropes. At night, they were tied to their beds with iron chains.[4] The patients awaited a divine command in their dreams to go back home. For the command to come, it was expected to take anything from two months to several years.
As the number of people seeking cure at dargah increased, homes were set up by individuals to reportedly take care of the patients. Most of these homes were set up by people who themselves had come to Erwadi seeking cure for their relatives.
The origins of the fire are unknown, but once it spread, there was little hope of saving most of the 45 inmates, who were chained to their beds in the ramshackle shelter in which they slept, though such shackling was against Indian law. Some inmates whose shackles were not as tight escaped, and five people were hospitalized for severe burns. The bodies of the dead were not identifiable.[5]
- ^ "Chronology of major fire accidents". Hindustan Times. New Delhi. 9 December 2011. Archived from the original on 10 June 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
- ^ Asha Krishnakumar (18 August 2001). "Deliverance in Erwadi". Frontline. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ^ "Indian mental homes face closure". BBC News. 8 August 2001. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ^ Tarun Arora. "Indian Parliament: Responding To International Obligations Regarding – The Rights Of Mentally Retarded People". Legal Service India. Com. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ^ BARRY BEARAK (8 August 2001). "25 Inmates Die, Tied to Poles, In Fire in India In Mental Home". New York Times. Retrieved 21 August 2017.