Shift Pinki Pramanik to a women's cell: Rights activists

New Delhi: After the uproar over arrested athlete Pinki Pramanik's video which was allegedly taken during her gender test, human rights activists now want her to be shifted to a women's cell, until her results are out. Pramanik's lawyers say that her live-in partner, who had claimed the sprinter raped and tortured her, may have recorded the video clip.

Human rights activists have filed a complaint and demanded that Pinki should be shifted to a women's cell, saying that she should be treated as a woman, until proven otherwise. Pinki has undergone a gender test and the results are expected by the July 12.

The activists say the West Bengal government is acting insensitively. "Pinki is kept in a male cell in the jail. There are male police escorting her, no female cops around. She should be treated as a women till proven otherwise. Government should be ashamed. The government should restore her dignity," say activists.

Pinki\'s lawyers say that her live-in partner, who had claimed the sprinter raped and tortured her, may have recorded the video clip.

Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) has requested the West Bengal Human Rights Commission's intervention in the matter.

"Until proved otherwise, Pinki is a female and the way the police are treating her is deplorable. We have approached the WBHRC giving evidence about how Pinki has been continuously sexually harassed ever since she was arrested," APDR secretariat member Ranajit Sur said.

Sur led a seven-member delegation and met WBHRC chairman Ashok Kumar Ganguly and submitted newspaper clippings, photos and pictures to substantiate their claim.

Holding the administration responsible for a video clip showing the athlete in the nude while undergoing a gender test which has gone viral online, the organisation sought exemplary against the guilty.

"For nearly three weeks, Pramanik has been in judicial custody. Therefore, the entire responsibility of allowing this MMS clip to have been created rests with the administration. The commission must therefore enquire the entire matter and punish the guilty," added Sur.

The treatment meted out to the athlete has attracted criticism from the sporting fraternity as well.

"Male police officers have been escorting her and at times dragging her out from the van. This is absolutely deplorable," former national women's swimming champion Bula Chowdhury said.

"She may be charged for a particular crime, but why is she being subjected to this harassment?" asked Shanti Mullick, the only woman Arjuna Award winner in football.

(With additional inputs from IANS)

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