NIA seizes Green Valley Academy, Malappuram, in PFI crackdown on terror links

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken action against Green Valley Academy in Manjeri, Kerala, after uncovering its association with the banned outfit Popular Front of India (PFI). The academy served as an arms and physical training center for PFI members, and NIA asserts it is one of the oldest and largest such facilities in Kerala.

This move is part of a broader crackdown on terrorist activities linked to PFI across the country. The NIA has attached the academy as the 18th property of the outfit to be considered ‘proceeds of terrorism’ under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

The NIA filed a Chargesheet against 59 accused, including PFI as an organization, in the case (RC-02/2022/NIA/KOC) on March 17, 2023. Following ongoing investigations, the NIA seized the Green Valley Academy, which spans 10 hectares and was previously managed by the ‘Green Valley Foundation’ (GVF). The academy was used by both the National Development Front and subsequently by the PFI.

According to NIA’s claims, PFI utilized the academy for providing arms and physical training, as well as ideological indoctrination in their divisive and communal agenda. The facility was also used to shelter PFI Service Wing members after they committed various crimes, including murders.

Prior to this, the NIA had attached five other PFI training centers in Kerala – Malabar House, Periyar Valley, Valluvanad House, Karunya Charitable Trust, and Trivandrum Education and Service Trust (TEST). Additionally, 12 PFI offices were attached, intermittently used by the outfit’s leadership for various training and organizational activities related to terror and violence.

Investigations revealed that the PFI had disguised its training centers under charitable and educational trusts formed by its members or leaders. The Green Valley Academy offered a five-year integrated course that combined Islamic studies with secular streams of knowledge, including a graduation option from Indira Gandhi National Open University alongside an Islamic degree from the academy.