Dr Manmohan Singh, chairman of IOA Medical Commission, will inquire into the matter and submit his report within 10 days. According to IOA, Santhi was disqualified on the recommendation of the Olympic Council of Asia Medical Committee. In fact, Santhi was pulled out of the 1500 m event after she failed the gender-test following her 800 m win. Athletics Federation of India secretary-general confirmed that they had been asked by the IOA to return the medal.

This is not the first time that an Indian athlete has been involved in a gender controversy with Anusuya Bai and Nani Radha having failed such tests in the 1970s and Solamathi later.

Meanwhile, The Indian Express has been told that Santhi failed a gender-verification test conducted by a Southern Railways hospital in Chennai two years ago after she was selected for a job under the Railway sports quota.

Since Santhi had only sought a job with the Railways, details of her medical tests and results were kept confidential and no one came to know about her “real gender”. Even Santhi was only told that she was “medically unfit” for the job.

“In 2004, Santhi was sent for the mandatory medical examination to the Southern Railways Hospital in Perambur in north Chennai. After she was subjected to a physical examination by a gynaecologist, we sent her blood samples for a chromosomal analysis (genetic test) outside Chennai as the hospital is not fully equipped for a gender-verification test. We got confirmation that she had failed the test,”. a senior hospital staffer told The Indian Express.

Santhi was denied the job on grounds of “misrepresentation”, that is “making the false claim of being a woman”, said the hospital staffer, pointing out that the hospital was under no obligation or compulsion to inform any Indian authority about Santhi’s ‘gender’ since the process was confidential and she had undergone the medical test only for a job.

C K Valson, Joint Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Athletics Association, who was in Doha as an Assistant Technical Delegate, said: “We heard that the Southern Railways had done a gender verification test on Santhi. But if they had done such a test and if Santhi had failed it, they should have informed the authorities concerned about it. There is no such official report from the Southern Railways authorities and I don’t think the Railways Hospital here is equipped to do such a test.”

He confirmed that Santhi had been subjected to the gender test at Doha on December 10. “But we have not received any official communication as yet about the results,” said Valson. He was of the view that Santhi could still undergo “hormone therapy and surgery, if needed,” and after two years, could also appeal for being allowed to return to competitive athletics.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government decided to keep its promise of handing over a cheque for Rs 15 lakh to Santhi this morning. After receiving her prize in the Chief Minister’s chamber, Santhi told reporters: “I have not received any message from the Doha Committee. The medal is with me and as far as I am concerned I believe I have won it. I also received the Chief Minister’s blessings.”

In her home district Pudukkottai, Santhi’s fans, furious with Games officials for accusing her of not being a woman, set fire to an effigy representing the Asiad Olympic Council. Police took into custody six sports fans for staging the protest.