LUCKNOW, March 14 -- Cow protection, which has long been a politically sensitive issue in Uttar Pradesh, especially since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed power in March 2017 under chief minister Yogi Adityanath, has once again moved to the centre of political discourse with the state government highlighting enforcement data related to cow slaughter and cattle smuggling.

In a press note issued on Friday, the government said that more than 35,900 people have been arrested and over 14,000 cases registered across the state since the anti-cow slaughter law was made more stringent in 2020. The figures come at a time when demands from some religious groups to declare the cow as "Rashtra Mata" have resurfaced, adding a fresh political d...