Pinki undergoes gender test, medical board seeks more time

Kolkata, June 25 (IANS) Asiad gold medallist runner Pinki Pramanik, accused of being a male and currently under judicial custody for "rape", Monday underwent gender determining medical tests at the government-run SSKM hospital, a top hospital official said.

However, due to absence of facilities for one of the tests, the medical board set up for conducting the tests on order from the court will do the test elsewhere and will seek time for this.

"Several tests, including MRI, USG, were conducted on Pinki. However, the facilities for one of her tests (karyotype - a chromosomal test) are not available here. As the results are to be submitted before the court before June 29, extension of time will be sought from the court," SSKM superintendent T.K.Ghosh told media persons.

An 11-member medical board headed by Biswanath Kahali, head of the hospitals' forensic department, and including a radiologist, a gynecologist and an anatomist among other experts, was constituted for conducting the medical examinations.

Pinki was brought from the Dum Dum Central Correctional Home to the SSKM in the afternoon and first taken to the forensic and state medicine department where some tests were carried out. Later, Pinki was taken for an MRI, USG and other tests.

Meanwhile, Pinki's counsel Tuhin Roy claimed the entire case was fabricated and also asserted the athlete to be female.

"The entire case is fabricated. She is a female and the tests will now prove that," said Roy.

The athlete was taken for a gender test at another government hospital in North 24-Parganas June 19 but the test was inconclusive, following which the athlete was referred to the SSKM.

Pramanik was arrested June 14 and remanded in 14 days' judicial custody by a court June 15 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 4x400 metres relay at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha in Qatar. The runner was a silver medallist at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games the same year.

The Eastern Railway with which the athlete is a ticket collector suspended Pramanik June 16 following her remand to judicial custody.

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