Athlete Pinki Pramanik on Thursday sought West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s intervention to ensure that the police did not “humiliate” her any further.
“I want Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to ensure that the police do not humiliate me. There is a legal case going on and I have nothing to say regarding it. But the police should stop making comments on my gender,” Ms. Pramanik told The Hindu.
“I will write to Ms. Banerjee in the next few days seeking a meeting with her,” she said.
The athlete has been charged with, among other offences, the rape of a woman who used to share her house. A charge sheet was filed in Barasat court in North 24 Parganas district on Monday.
Additional Public Prosecutor had said “Pinki is a male,” referring to the medical tests to ascertain her gender.
Ms. Pramanik alleged that such remarks in public regarding her gender were driving her to contemplate suicide.
She questioned Ms. Banerjee’s silence in her case stating that there were repeated violations of her rights by the police during her stay in a correctional home and after her release. The athlete, who works as a ticket inspector in the Eastern Railway, said she was finding it difficult to continue with her job and would go on leave from Friday.
“When I am on the job, a number of people come and surround me, some even make nasty remarks. I am forced to remain inside the office most of the times,” she said adding repeated remarks on her gender were like a “mental torture” to her.
Anamika Acharya, who shared Ms. Pramanik’s house at Baguihati in the city, had filed a police complaint in June, accusing the athlete of raping her.
Claiming that there were inconsistencies in the statements made by Ms. Acharya, the athlete said: “I am waiting to get the copies of charge sheet and the medical report that will be handed over to me on November 26. After that, I will file a defamation suit against her.”
“My medals will not be taken away from me of that, I am sure,” said the former middle distance runner who won the 4X100 metres gold in 2006 Doha Asian games.
