Durgapur, Nov. 14: Jawans of the India Reserve Battalion turned violent last night as residents of a housing complex here tried to resist their lewd behaviour during a soiree.

Five people, including a woman nine months pregnant, were injured at Bidhannagar Government Housing, about 200 km from Calcutta, as jawans armed with brickbats and hockey sticks beat up residents, damaged the dais and pulled down the wood and bamboo structure.Vehicles were damaged and windowpanes broken.

Initially, a group of 20 jawans was forced out of the complex after some from it behaved indecently. But around 10.30 pm, they came back armed and launched the assault hurling stones at the flats. The residents alleged that the drunk jawans also molested women. Five of them were detained today. Burdwan superintendent of police N.K. Singh, said: ?We have started a case on charges of ransacking during the soiree. We have also seized, hockey sticks and cricket bats that the jawans had brought. We will arrest the culprits as soon as they are identified.?

One of the detained jawans was arrested tonight.

This morning, the jawans attacked residents buying provisions at a zonal market. Personnel from the New Township police station resorted to a lathicharge to disperse them.

Singh said only the commanding officer of the battalion ? a special force set up by the state with funds from the Centre ? has the authority to take disciplinary action against the jawans.

P.T. Sherpa, the commanding officer declined comment.

The police said about 700 jawans are undergoing training at the barrack, about half-a-kilometre from the complex. Residents alleged that around 9.30 pm, the jawans entered the complex and made passes at women.

?We managed to push them out. An hour later, a larger number of jawans returned armed and started beating us up,? said Partha Ghosh, the treasurer of Bidhannagar Cultural Club, which had organised the programme. Ghosh?s wife Jharna, who was carrying, was attacked when she tried to rescue him.

Police force finally chased the jawans and pushed them back to their barrack.