Pinki Pramanik Released from Jail

After spending 25 days in jail on charge of raping a fellow athlete, finally Asian Games gold medalist Pinki Pramanik walked out of jail today (Wednesday). Pramanik, who after being accused of being a male had been in judicial custody since June 15 for alleged rape of her 30-year-old live-in partner, was given bail on Tuesday.

After being arrested on June 14, Pramanik has been lodged in Dum Dum jail and has undergone a series of gender tests. A Barasat court had on Tuesday granted the athlete bail on a bail bond of Rs 5,000.

As she left jail on Wednesday morning, her father Durga Charan Pramanik & other family members along with former sportswoman-turned-politician Jyotirmoyee Sikdar was there to receive her.

Before getting into a car and driving off the 26-year-old athlete said,

“I have been framed and the woman is still trying to fix me.”

That woman is Pinki’s who has alleged that Pinki is a man who raped her. The retired middle-distance runner was arrested on June 14.

Pramanik had success with the national 4×400 metres relay team, winning silver at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, gold at the 2006 Asian Games, and gold at the 2005 Asian Indoor Games. She won three gold medals at the 2006 South Asian Games, winning the 400 and 800 m events, as well as the relay.

Pinki’s first success was winning two bronze medals at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships when she was 17 years old. She was chosen to represent Asia at the IAAF World Cup. Domestically, she has won three times at the All-India Open National Championships. A series of injuries and a car crash meant that she rarely competed after 2007.