Asian Games Gold Medalist Pinki Pramanik Joins BJP In Kolkata

Asian Games gold medalist athlete Pinki Pramanik joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kolkata on Thursday. West Bengal BJP President Dilip Ghosh said, “She is now a part of the BJP family” after handing her the BJP flag.

Pinki was a member of the Asian Games gold medal and the Commonwealth Games silver medal winning quartet in the 400m relay event in 2006.

Asian Games Gold Medalist Pinki Pramanik Joins BJP https://t.co/WEZeJun4dt

— NDTV News feed (@ndtvfeed) September 10, 2020

About Pinki Pramanik

Pinki Pramanik was born on 10 April 1986 in Purulia district in West Bengal. She was born to Pushparani Pramanik and Durga Chara. At the age of 17, she won two bronze medals at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships. She was chosen to represent Asia at the IAAF World Cup. 

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In 2002, she set four junior state records and made her world debut at the 2003 World Youth Championships in Athletics. At 20, she brought home gold at the Asian Games as part of the 4×400 women’s relay team. After winning the silver medal in the Commonwealth Games in the same year she was offered a job at the Indian Railways. She was posted in Eastern Railway, Kolkata.

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In her career, Pinki won several gold medals. She won gold at the 2005 Asian Indoor Games, at the 2006 Asian Games, and won three gold medals at the 2006 South Asian Games reported India Today. She won the 400 metres and 800 metres events, as well as the relay.

Once her mother said, “Pinki has been running barefoot since she was a child. Her father couldn’t afford shoes.” “She would always run. It seems she was born to run.” 

She faced a road traffic accident in 2007, and the injuries compelled her to take a break from her athletic career. She wanted to qualify for the Beijing Olympics in 2008 but several injuries dashed her dreams.

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In 2012, Pinki was accused of rape and gender misrepresentation by Anamika Acharya reported India Today. Subsequently, it led to speculations of her gender and she was kept in custody for 25 days. An MMS of Pinki also went viral online and created a stir. 

However,  Jyotirmoyee Sikdar and ace swimmer Padma Shri Bula Chowdhury Chakraborty came out in her support and said that the athlete’s human rights have been violated and Pinki deserves a more dignified treatment.

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 Later on, Pinki was cleared of rape charges by Calcutta High Court in 2014. She then resumed her work in Eastern Railway. She returned to competing at the national level after a gap of eight-year and finished seventh in the 100 metre race in the Federation Cup with a timing of 12.33 seconds in April 2016. 

Sagrika Giri is an intern with SheThePeople.TV