In a fresh incident of doping in Indian athletics, three track and field contestants have tested positive for banned steroids in tests held during last month's National Open Athletic Championship in Kolkata, the country's anti-doping agency announced on Monday.

"A total of 93 urine samples of athletes of both track and field events were collected. Of the reports of 91 samples received so far from the National Dope Testing Laboratory, three samples were found positive and the first notices have been issued," National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) Director General Rahul Bhatnagar said in a statement. The NADA conducted the tests as part of its dope control programme during the Sep 10-13 event.

"In each of the cases, multiple substances were found and they include methandienone, stanozolol, methyltesterone, phentermine and methylhexaneamine," Bhatnagar said. Eight famed athletes of the country had failed dope tests earlier this year.

Double Asian Games gold-medallist Ashwini Akkunji, and two other members of the Asian Games 4X400m gold-winning relay quartet Mandeep Kaur and Sini Jose, besides quartermilers Jauna Murmu, Priyanka Panwar and Tiana Mary Thomas, shot putter Sonia and long jumper Hari Krishan Muralidharan also flunked the tests.