India, June 7 -- The Karnataka government's decision to suspend Bengaluru police commissioner B Dayananda following the June 4 stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium has drawn sharp criticism from former police officers and opposition leaders, who described the move as hasty, unjust, and politically motivated.

Dayananda, who held the city's top police post until June 5, was suspended on Thursday by the state home department for alleged lapses in managing the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) IPL victory celebrations. The stampede, which took place as crowds surged outside the stadium to attend the felicitation event organised by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), left 11 people dead and over 50 injured.

According to the...