On September 22 and 23, Christians from three villages in the Kondagaon district of India’s Chhattisgarh state were attacked by a mob of nationalists after they refused to recant their Christian faith. The nationalists physically assaulted the Christians in the presence of police and destroyed 16 houses across the three villages.Approximately 100 Christians were displaced as a result of the violence. Several of the victims filed a Public Interest Litigation suit and the High Court of Bilaspur ordered the Kondagaon district administration to facilitate their safe return.“We have returned to our villages as the court has ordered our protection,” Shiv Ram, one of the petitioners, told UCAN. “But we don’t feel safe and are still worried about our lives.”Many Christians still remember how the police stood by and watched as they were attacked in September. Others claim the measure ordered by the district administration will do little to protect them if violence breaks out again.Following the court order, the district administration set up a single police check point and posted 12 police officers to insure the safety of the displaced believers. However, this check point is not located in any of the villages where the violence took placed and nothing has been done to restore the Christians’ confidence in the police.It was reported that the persecution of Christians in India increased sharply in the year 2016, according to a report by Open Doors. India was ranked 15th in the world in terms of danger to Christians, up from 31st four years earlier.According to the report, it is also  estimated that a church was burnt down or a cleric beaten on average 10 times a week in India in the year to 31 October 2016, a threefold increase on the previous year.According to the All India Christian Council, there was an attack on Christians recorded every 40 hours in India in 2016. There were 26 documented cases of violence against Christians in the country between January and March 2016, while the central government refrained from speaking out against it. There were incidents of anti-Christian violence in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan around Christmas since December 2016.