Deshapremi Janatha Viyaparaya

The DJV activity dates back to 1986, a year prior to the Indo-Lanka Accord signing. It was operating as the Motherland Defense Front.[18]

The DJV got recognition following its call to the BBC correspondent, John Pettier. The organization claimed that it consists of 2,000 active militants. The caller claimed the organization is an independent organization and is not affiliated to the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna. This was after the JVP claimed responsibility for a mass bombing that took place in the Colombo district and killed 14 people.[10]

The main commands were given by the JVP politburo member Saman Piyasiri. However Rohana Wijeweera was the supreme commander who had power to control the internal operation base. Following Wijeweera's death, Piyasiri was elected the supreme commander by organization committee of the JVP.

Shantha Bandara was the student union organizer who founded the Inter-university Students' Federation (IUSF) and acted as the liaison point between international socialist student unions and the internal sectors of the JVP.

The group was made up of youths trained in certain rural areas. The members were uniformed as soldiers of the Sri Lankan Army. The militants patrolled towns at night and attacked politicians mostly from rightist parties and rival leftists. The major target was military bases of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. Military bases of Sri Lankan Army and Air Force were attacked alongside Police Stations, these attacks mostly ended in success.

Several weapons recovered by the Sri Lankan Army was stolen from bases in the central province where the JVP had its headquarters.

DJV sent death threats to UNP supporters calling them 'Traitors' and threatened their families as well. The logo of the DJV appeared in the upper left corner of death threat posters. The name 'Patriotic People's Movement' appeared right to the logo, the name further appeared in the Tamil language.[19][lower-alpha 1]

JVP ordered the DJV to attack military personnel of the Sri Lankan army and also other operational units held by the Sri Lankan government since 1986. DJV completely disarmed the Counter Subversive Unit (CSU) after assassinating a majority of its leadership. Members of the Sri Lankan army were killed on first sight.

In 1988 JVP ambushed and attacked an military commando unit sent out on to track down DJV members at Kirula in Hungama area. Three commandos were killed. In April 1989, there was a series of landmine attacks in Embilipitiya - four soldiers were killed. Landmines were discovered in Hungama, Tissamaharama, Angunokolapelssa, Kamburupitiya, Urubokka, and Middeniya as well.[20]

Premakumar Gunaratnam and Wijeweera sent troops to train in various camps used by Marxist Tamil militant groups most importantly, People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE). It was until the PLOTE surrendered and was resurrected as a pro-Sri Lankan government group. Investigations show PLOTE and the DJV established a trade union to trade weapons and goods between each other. DJV gave the PLOTE a certain amount of lorry engines and was given claymores by PLOTE in return.

When the Sri Lankan government supported the LTTE to end the IPKF, EPRLF approached the DJV. EPRLF also supplied training camps. Wijeweera visited an EPRLF camp in Thomalivalli Patti prior to the insurgency.[26] Some allegations were made that the DJV/JVP was given weapons directly by the Indian intelligence agencies in 1989.[27]

The Eelam People's Liberation Army led by Douglas Devananda was also critical of the Indian arrival calling it imperialist. EPLA was the armed wing of the EPRLF.[28]

On 1987, April, 15 Pallekele Army Camp came under attack. The purpose was to collect weapons. It was their first attack on an armory. A certain amount of T-56 guns were missing and 7.62 ammo was missing as well. JVP didn't claim responsibility for the attack, but 13 members of the group were arrested by the police.[35][36]

The DJV attacked the Sri Lankan parliament in 1987. This was an assassination attempt against both the President, J.R Jayawardene and the Prime Minister, Ranasinghe Premadasa. While the targeted weren't killed, five parliamentarians were when the grenades hurled.

Subsequent investigations suggested that Ajith Kumara, a commander of the Patriotic People's Movement, had thrown the grenades into the committee room. He was friendly with most of those working in the complex and had access to the room from where the bombs were flung. He was put on a Million Rupee bounty on his head.

The DJV also attacked various temples. Armed cadres of DJV attacked the annual Esala Procession of Kataragama temple, this incident caused the death of 15 people.[37]

In 1989 the organizing committee of the JVP ordered Premakumar to attack the IPKF following the second anniversary of signing the Indo-Lanka accord. The attack was a mine attack. The DJV planted two mines in roads where the JVP knew IPKF infantry troops travel through. The first mine didn't explode, however, the second successfully exploded damaging the infantry vehicle. Sarath Kule was the explosives expert who planted the mines. Watchers were kept to identify IPKF vehicles. The members of the DJV then entered the vehicle and stole an Indian Light Machine Gun. There were Indian troops outside firing at the DJV but none of them got shot. There were fourteen IPKF jawans and all of them were killed. Premakumar Gunaratnam completely led the attack but had to get the landmines from PLOTE. The Sri Lankan government didn't let the news on the attack come out due to fears that the DJV would form an alliance with the LTTE in order to fight the IPKF.[14][38]

A statement made later recalling the incident says:

Kumara Gunaratnam’s older brother Ranjithan (said to be dead) was one of the most intelligent, able and disciplined cadres I have met anywhere. By comparison, Kumara himself seems to have had more guts than brains, but those guts were in abundance. While the JVP cadre was busily murdering Sinhala leftists and minor state employees in the name of a patriotic war against the IPKF, Kumara was a true believer who actually planned and possibly participated in an ambush of an IPKF unit. The morning after, the JVP leadership contacted the Indian Deputy High Commissioner and profusely apologised, promising never to repeat that.[38]

The first encounter with the IPKF, it attacked an Indian Armory in Kallar which was in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka.[39]

DJV avoided getting into conflict with the LTTE as the Patriotic fronts did not recognize LTTE members as enemies but as rivals. JVP further opposed the usage of Sri Lankan army to fight the LTTE cadre.[40][41]

The DJV didn't kill much as the government forces. The government killings are counted as 34,000 while the DJV killings are counted as 6,700. However the DJV killed 2,645 UNP members, 1,652 ordinary civilians, 702 spies, 487 government employees, 342 police officers, 15 army officers and 202 ordinary soldiers, 187 university students and students of schools, 117 Mahajana Party members, 93 members of police families,[lower-alpha 4] 52 school principals, 41 Bhikkus, 16 doctors, 14 lawyers, eight artistes, two vice chancellors and two Catholic priests.[45]

DJV and the Patriotic Students' Union was banned alongside the Socialist Students' Union in 1988. The ban on the DJV never got lifted instead it was completely disarmed alongside the Students' Group. The trade unions affiliated to the JVP was also banned following the insurgency. The violence by the Death Squads like the Black Cat group and the Eagles of the Central Hills were ignored by the state. The death toll is placed at 80,000 by international researchers.[46]

The Sri Lankan government media released on December 29, 1989, as "the leader of the JVP military wing killed along with four other cadres due to the crossfire between security forces and the JVP at their military wing headquarters, a farm located at Piliyandala". It was the last DJV stronghold in Western Province, Sri Lanka.[47]

Following the defeat of the DJV in the Southern province and later the Central province, it went to hiding in the Eastern province which was mostly a battleground for the LTTE. As of 1991 there was no DJV activity in the Sinhalese areas such as the Western province. The last reported JVP base was captured by the Armed Forces of Sri Lanka[48]