Siliguri, Nov. 26: The vice-chancellor of North Bengal University (NBU) has declared that an independent probe will be conducted into yesterday?s ragging incident, for which four second-year postgraduate history students have been suspended, even as preliminary investigations threw up some shocking details of what the victim, Azizur Rehman, had to endure.

While terming it as an ?isolated one?, vice-chancellor Pijush Kanti Saha expressed deep concern over the incident since ragging had never been a problem in any of the hostels on the university campus. He added that steps would be taken to ensure that such incidents do not recur.

For Rehman, however, the trauma of Wednesday night had left a scar that would take a long time to heal. By the time it ended, at around 3 am according to hostel inmates, the first-year student who was doing his masters in history had gone into a state of shock.

Dragged out into the corridor, Rehman was allegedly stripped naked and asked to parade up and down the hostel. The four seniors, Samir Das, Gautam Roy, Anup Sarkar and Bappa Mahato, are then said to have pricked him with a wire that was plugged into an electric point.

According to boarders, the ragging continued in two phases. After the midnight session, the seniors kept him confined to a room for some time only to re-start the harassment all over again.

Yesterday, a traumatised Rehman narrated the incident to hostel superintendent Manas Chakraborty and left for his home in North Dinajpur.

The four accused were suspended; they have apparently confessed to their conduct.

Chakraborty has filed an FIR with the Matigara police.

The police, however, are not satisfied with the FIR. A senior police officer pointed out that there was no mention of any injury, even though the complaint said he had been administered electric shocks.

Additional police superintendent R. Rajasekaran said the circle inspector of Bagdogra, P.C. Das, had been sent to Chakulia in North Dinajpur, where Azizur stays. ?We will have to ask the victim before we draw up the charges,? he said.

The vice-chancellor, who at present is in Calcutta, said over phone that a committee will be formed once he returned.

?We will initiate an internal inquiry into the incident, which is the first of its kind in the 42-year history of the university,? said Saha. ?The committee will find out if there has been any lapses on our part and also suggest measures to improve hostel discipline,? he added.

Comparing the incident with the US marines? humiliation of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib, Saha said: ?It is a startling case of perversion and moral degradation.?

The victim and the guilty were unavailable for comment since both had left for their homes.

The Students? Federation of India today said it had written to various heads ?demanding exemplary punishment for the offenders who have defiled the sanctity of the NBU environment?.