NEW DELHI: The gender of an athlete who won a women's relay gold medal at the 2006 Asian Games has been called into question following rape allegations made by another woman and widely reported in the Indian media.

Pinki Pramanik is alleged to have raped a woman she was living with in the eastern state of West Bengal. The woman alleged that Pramanik was a man and had promised to marry her but later refused to do so.

The Indian Express newspaper quoted Deputy Commissioner of Police Subrata Bandyopadhyay as saying Pramanik had been arrested and police had approached a court ''seeking permission for medical tests to determine the gender of the athlete.''

Pramanik, 26, retired from athletics three years ago. The Indian Athletics Federation has declined comment.