Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said on Wednesday that both humans and cows are important and assured that he would protect them all. He was speaking in reaction to the mob lynching incident that took place at Hapur’s Bajhera Khurd village, 50km from the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border on 20 June. The incident was triggered by suspicion of cattle theft.

"Humans are important and cows are also important. Both have their own roles in nature. Everyone should be protected," Adityanath said, according to a Zee News report. 

The Uttar Pradesh chief minister pointed out that both humans and cows have their own roles (to play) in nature.

He said that the Congress was giving unnecessary importance to the recent lynching incident in the state. "These incidents are given unnecessary importance. If you talk about mob lynching, what was 1984? Law and order is a matter of the state. The Congress's intention of making a mountain out of a molehill won't be successful," India Today quoted Adityanath as saying.

"It is the responsibility of every individual, every community and every religion to respect each other's sentiments," Adityanath told news agency ANI.