Friday, Nov 16, 2012
INDIA - Indian police have charged an international gold medal-winning athlete - thought to be female - with rape after medical tests showed she was a man.
Pinki Pramanik, who won team gold in the 4x400m relay at the 2006 Asian Games, had to to undergo a gender test following rape accusations from a woman who previously lived in her flat.
The 26-year-old was charged on Monday, after a report was completed by a medical board.
"Medical tests have confirmed that Pinki is not a female," Dr BN Kahali, chairman of the board, told AFP.
"Pinki is a male pseudo-hermaphrodite. We have submitted the medical report to the district sessions court."
Male pseudo-hermaphrodites are genetic males who develop some female physical characteristics and identities.
Mr Prabir Roy, officer in charge of the Baguihati police station in Kolkata, said the athlete, who retired in 2007, has been charged with rape and forgery.
Pramanik's arrest and allegations over her gender caused asensation in India, with rights' groups complaining that herprivacy had been invaded by the authorities and media in Kolkata.
The athlete, from a poor farming family in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, also won a silver in the 4x400m relay at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Mr C K Walson, secretary-general of the Athletic Federation of India told Mid-Day that it was "too premature to say anything now".
Finalised
He said: "This is a report done by a panel of doctors and it would be unwise to jump the gun. Only later, if this report is found to be true and everything is finalised, would we write to the International Association of Athletics Federations to see what we have to do."
The tainted athlete's lawyer, Mr Manab Sanyal, said he has yet to go through the charge sheet. He told reporters he would make a comment only after he has seen the charges.
Experts said they were not surprised by the findings of the chromosome (DNA) test, Times of India reported.
Pramanik's aggression and a tendency to lapse into a fit of rage suggested the runner suffered from a condition known as Congenital Adrenal Hyperplacia, they said.
This is classified as a form of Disorder of Sexual Differentiation, reported the Times of India.
