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, a Moroccan[4] 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.

As the number of people seeking cure at dargah increased, homes were set up by individuals to reportedly take care of the patients.

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.