He proceeded to India in 1893 and established a laboratory at Byculla in 1896, which moved to Parel and was later called the Haffkine Institute. Haffkine worked on the plague and by 1902–03 half a million were inoculated but on 30 October 1902, 19 people died from tetanus out of 107 inoculated at Mulkowal. This "Mulkowal disaster" led to an enquiry.[10] He was briefly suspended but reappointed director of the Biological Laboratory in Calcutta.[citation needed] He retired in 1915 and suffering from malaria, had to return to France.