Thaindian News

Kolkata, June 19 (IANS) Asian Games gold medallist athlete Pinki Pramanik, accused of being a male and currently in judicial custody for alleged rape, underwent a gender determination test Tuesday at a North 24 Parganas district hospital, police said.

A seven-member medical board was constituted at the Barasat sub-divisional hospital where the athlete underwent the test. The report, in a sealed cover, will be placed before a court Wednesday.

Pramanik has also been referred to the government-run SSKM Hospital here for further tests.

“A seven-member medical team conducted several tests on her, the reports of which in a sealed envelope will be sent to the court. There are some other important tests like chromosomal and hormonal blood tests which have to be conducted to determine Pinki’s sexuality,” Chief Medical Officer of North 24 Parganas district Sukanta Sil said.

“As we don’t have the infrastructure to conduct such tests in the district hospital, we have referred the case to SSKM where these tests will be conducted tomorrow (Wednesday),” added Sil.

The medical team supervised the proceedings in the presence of court officials.

Pramanik was arrested late Thursday night and remanded to 14 days’ judicial custody by a court Friday after the athlete’s live-in partner, a divorcee and a mother of one, filed a police complaint accusing the athlete of being a male who repeatedly “raped and tortured” her.

Subsequent to the arrest, Pramanik was taken to a private nursing home for a medical check-up where the test reports claimed that the former athlete was indeed a male.

Pramanik, however, claimed innocence and said it was a conspiracy.

Pramanik, who retired from athletics three years ago, won gold in the 4×400 metres relay at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha in Qatar. She was a silver medallist at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games the same year.

The Eastern Railway with which the athlete is a ticket collector Sunday suspended Pramanik following her remand to judicial custody.