Jalpaiguri, Aug. 26: The incidents of ragging at Jalpaiguri Polytechnic Institute (JPI) seem to have opened a can of worms.

A new case was reported today from a women?s college here.

The victim, Debasmita Mondal, a first-year student of English honours in Prassannadev Women?s College, has alleged that a group of senior students at the hostel had tormented her mentally and physically for three consecutive days starting August 10. That was her first day in the hostel.

?They asked me to eat hot food from a plate that had been heated to such a temperature that it scalded my hands. Apart from beating me up, they also asked me to sing and dance and pricked pins on my palms. I left the hostel on the fourth day,? Debasmita said. A resident of Birpara, 70km from here, Debasmita had come to town today to complain verbally to the college authorities.

?I was tortured by a group of 25-30 boarders led by a second-year student. The more I pleaded with them, the more they increased the degree of torture,? she added.

Though Debasmita wants to continue staying at the hostel, her parents seemed apprehensive. ?We are not keen on sending her back to the hostel,? said Debasmita?s mother Sampa Mondal.

The SFI-backed students? union of the college has demanded an inquiry into the incident and punishment of the guilty. ?We are against any such act of ragging. We have already asked for an inquiry into the incident,? said Nilanjana Sarkar, the general secretary of the students? union of the college.

The authorities of the institute have admitted the absence of an anti-ragging committee in the college. ?But we will investigate the incident. We will also call a meeting to discuss the issue,? said Uma Bajpai, the principal-in-charge of the college.

At JPI, students continue to leave the hostel. Manish Gupta, another ragging victim and a resident of Dalkhola in North Dinajpur, fled the hostel yesterday.

The authorities of the institute have planned to keep a watch on students fleeing the hostel. Anyone found leaving would have to furnish reasons, said the authorities.