During the Men’s 2nd National Javelin Throw Open Championship held on April 15-16, 2019, Amit Dahiya, representing Haryana, delivered a strong performance. He finished third with a distance of 68.21m. However, controversy arose during the anti-doping process when someone else attempted to provide a sample in Dahiya's place.
The New Delhi Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel imposed a four-year ban on Dahiya after realizing the person tested was not actually him. The mystery deepened when the individual who provided the fraudulent sample fled the scene the moment the suspension was mentioned. When questioned, Dahiya argued that he had to leave abruptly due to a personal crisis, which is why he wasn't there to give his sample to the Doping Control Agency.
After NADA issued the first notice on July 16, 2019, the case moved to the ADDP for a hearing on January 9, 2020. Dahiya's defense was that he had sent his cousin out to buy some fruit and juice after the event. He claimed that his cousin was involved in an accident, forcing Dahiya to rush away to help, which he cited as the reason for missing the mandatory test.
Despite this explanation, the fact that someone else pretended to be Dahiya remained a major red flag. This imposter had even produced a 10th-grade mark sheet to verify his identity as Amit Dahiya. However, because the real Amit Dahiya had presented his Aadhar card for verification on the morning of the competition, the DCA officer immediately spotted the fraud. The imposter then bolted from the scene, leading the National Anti-Doping Agency to escalate the matter to the ADDP.
After reviewing the evidence, the ADDP issued a ruling based on the original July 16, 2019 notice, banning Amit Dahiya from all javelin competitions for four years. NADA described the move as a 'landmark decision,' signaling a zero-tolerance policy toward doping and fraud in Indian sports. As a result of his absence and the subsequent fraud, the 21-year-old athlete was cited for violating Anti-Doping rule 2.3.