Athlete Pinki Pramanik said here on Tuesday that it is offensive when the police or an additional public prosecutor comments on her gender in public.
“It is not for the police or an additional public prosecutor to make repeated remarks on my gender,” Pinki told The Hindu, a day after an additional public prosecutor claimed that she was a male, as stated in a medical report. Charges of rape were brought against her in the charge sheet submitted before a court in Barasat in the State’s North 24 Parganas district.
“There is a circus going on and I am being treated as a joker,” she said, adding that she felt that she was being treated as an “object of curiosity” because of the repeated references to her gender. “I find it difficult to come out of my home and walk on the roads,” she said.
Ever since her arrest on June 14, 2012 after the woman she shared her home with accused her of rape, she has been harassed by the police, and now the remarks on her gender come as a “mental torture”, Pinki said. “All they [police] want is to finish me.” Pinki added that she was “ being cornered in such a manner that I am pushed into losing my self-esteem and [contemplating] taking my life.”
“I also hear reports that the police is saying that all my medals will be taken away. Who are they to say so? The police has not awarded me those medals,” she said.
Pinki said that she would approach the West Bengal Commission for Women. She claimed that despite approaching the court in September seeking reports of the medical investigations to ascertain her gender, she had not received them yet.
The athlete underwent medical examination at two State-run hospitals after the allegations of rape surfaced.
Questions were raised about the treatment meted out to her by the police during her 25- day incarceration at the Dum Dum Central Correctional Home. The State’s Human Rights Commission had sought a report from the State police and also recorded her statements after she said she was harassed by the police during her stay there.
Keywords: Pinki Pramanik, gender issue, rape charge
If Ms Pramanik as done a criminal act, try her and punish her through
proper channels. But, this ongoing drama about her gender and the way she is being treated is ridiculous, inhumane, cruel.
Are we, Indians, so crass and crude that we cannot even treat a fellow
human being with dignity and respect? I hope this message board is taken notice of suo moto by the Human Rights Commission and/or the High Court and something done about it.
Newspapers should not play to the tunes of police in giving publicity to their stories. Pinki should not be treated badly this time. Newspapers like The Hindu have a duty to ensure this. Why should the Police instead of investigating the case came up with a press meeting on this issue? It is the duty of Paribartan Mamata to see to it that women in west bengal is treated with dignity and respect.
It is none of the business of the police to prejudge or to harass
anybody who is in their custody.
This is really shameful to
know our higher authorities
are making a joke out of
Pinky,Who is an
athlete.Forget the fact that
she is an athlete but try to
show some kind of human
consideration towards
her.And now coming to
medals,police people are no
one to say that her medals
will be taken from her.Its
because of her hard work
that she got all this. The
only request from my side is
that try to bring out the
reality as soon as possible
and close the case instead
of dragging it like this.
Irrespective of whether Pinki is male or female, humiliating her in
public is disgusting. Indian police is the worst in every sense.
It is shameful the way we treat our national athlete. This is a serious matter and legal action need to sought against people who are accused of the crime. She should be given special treatment as being India's proud. Until accusations against her sought out no one has right to say anything about her. It is disgusting this is how we promote our players to do their best.
The way she is being treated reflects on our values as a mature,
progressive nation. India has a long way to go. And the fact that even
the courts and law enforcement agencies are clueless about dealing the
issue
A humane approach is needed by the media and the govt in handling this case. Leave this person alone. Its really disgusting to hear all the news about this human being.
It's really disgusting the way a human being is treated by national
media and state police on basis of sexuality.
Interesting to note, Pinki is being still referred as 'her'!! shouldn't it be 'him' since its officially confirmed?
second point, does India had to forego the medals we won where Pinki is part of the winning team?
Before we blame Pinki, let us blame Nature that people have been born as they are born. Indians who talk of religion and sanctity of freedom are hypocrites by mistreating this person in the manner in which (s)he is being ostracizied. This is a shame to this country and must stop. The police all across this country are behaving zookeepers with the difference that the animals there are better off. The human being in India has no value, no respect (except the rich and corrupt politicians), no privacy, etc. What was the person doing with Pinki before she brought charges of rape against her? Perhaps Indians should learn out of the first sentence of the German Constitution - Every person is to be respected. In this, India fails bitterly.
Can The Hindu advise how this news is going to help her what she is complaining for when it is being published as main news in this newspaper. When Politicians are accused of involvement in rapes, do you ever publish that as the main news?
Exactly....why is the media making an issue out of her gender? Leave her alone !!
I record my sympathy with her. It is shame the way officals behave when it comes to her gender. Whether Pinki abused anyone is independent of my view and that is for the police/prosecution to decide.
Sir.
Is it not strange and pathetic that we are so so much in doubt and cynicism even about the sex of an individual which must be beyond doubt. Pity is that we are considering this decline in our intellectual capacity as advancement.
I don't understand why there is so much fuss in the case.There has already been some physical tests of the athlete and if she is found guilty ,she should be given punishment.I think it is high time the drama is being on the go.The humiliation should be stopped and let poeple know what is the result of her gender test.Pinki has been so badly humiliated in public places.Both the government and some media are trying to make poeple fools by not giving the exact information about the case.If she is innocent,all the drama would be really unpleasant.We are eager to see the smoke in the case is cleared sooner.
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