A West Bengal court yesterday remanded Asian Games gold medal-winning athlete Pinki Pramanik to 14 days' judicial custody after the athlete was accused of being a male and arrested on charges of rape.
“The court has remanded Pramanik to judicial custody for 14 days. The court has also directed that the athlete’s gender be determined through a medical test in a government hospital within 14 days,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Bidhannagar (North 24 Parganas) Subrata Bandyopadhyay said.
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Policemen escort Pinki Pramanik (centre) to the Barasat District Court yesterday. Pic/AFP
“Pramanik has been kept in a separate cell as her gender is disputed and yet to be determined through a medical test at a government hospital,” public prosecutor Bikas Dey said. Pramanik was arrested after the athlete’s live-in partner, a divorcee and a mother of one, lodged a police complaint accusing Pramanik of being a man who has been repeatedly raping and torturing her.
Following the complaint, Pramanik was taken to a private nursing home for a medical check-up where the test reports showed that the athlete was indeed a male.
Family cries conspiracy
Meanwhile, Pinki’s parents defended her womanhood and suspected a conspiracy. Father Durgacharan said: “The husband of the woman who has made the allegation borrowed money from my daughter and refused to pay back. Not only that. They have hatched a conspiracy to malign my daughter.” The athlete’s mother Pushpa said she was surprised to hear of the allegation. “I’m her mother. No one knows the facts better than me.” u00a0
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