Calcutta, Jan. 6: Days after the army was sucked into a controversy over the alleged molestation of a woman by an officer, Major Chandra Pratap Singh, the accused, and Captain Mahesh, who was with him that night, lodged police complaints saying they were beaten up by the police and bouncers of a Park Street hotel.

The complaints, lodged with the Park Street police station late last night, named the policemen who allegedly beat up the army officers.

The complaint came some 24 hours after the police handed over a copy of their report to the court of inquiry instituted by the army to look into the New Year’s Eve incident.

The major, accused of molesting a woman in the hotel, said he was beaten up as he was trying to explain his identity to her, and inside the police station. Mahesh, too, said he was assaulted.

“If it were so, the officers could have lodged a complaint the day after the incident,” said Ajay Kumar, deputy commissioner of police (south). “Anyway, we will deal with the complaints according to our law,” he added.

The police began the most vital part of their probe today, scanning the identities of those who had turned up for the party at the banquet hall that night.

The purpose, as insiders put it, was to collect crucial bits of information from those present when the incident took place and zoom in on the woman allegedly molested.

A woman whom Singh had apparently threatened to slap inside the station has offered to “co-operate” with the police for the probe.

“We hope to locate the woman who was allegedly molested very soon. Certain leads are with us but it would not be proper to comment at this stage of the probe,” said Kumar.

Sleuths have spoken to the hotel’s security guard, Gopi Jha, who was present during the party. Jha said the woman, in a black skirt and top, had reprimanded the man for his behaviour and sought an apology, to which he shot back screaming that he was a major with the army and there was no question of saying sorry.

The woman accused the officer of pushing her “intentionally. When the matter snowballed, she informed the hotel’s security.

It was on the basis of her complaint that the hotel called Park Street police and a case was filed against the major.