Kurunegala District played an important role in the April 1971 rebellion. During that period, district committee leaders in both Kurunegala and Kegalle were selected by the members themselves rather than being appointed solely according to the preferences of the JVP leadership. The JVP leadership in Kurunegala also worked at the forefront without factionalism, alongside activists such as Jayakody, who had broken away from the Dharmasekara faction. Even after the defeat of the rebellion, the Kurunegala district leadership of the 1971 uprising was able to retreat to Wilpattu and continue providing leadership to its comrades.
During the April rebellion, the military coordinator for Kegalle District was Sarath Weeraratne, a commanding officer in the Air Force. Between 1968 and 1970, prominent activists in Kurunegala District included Kuliyapitiya Fernando, Gokarella Wimal, Rambadagalle Dharmaratne, Alawwa Samarakoon (alias Gunathilaka), Mawathagama Sugath, and several others. Following the factional conflict, a number of individuals associated with the Dharmasekara group were sidelined.
Bola Samarae
The Kurunegala District leader was Samaratunga Devage James, who was born in Pahalamedagoda, Narammala, on 2 December 1943. He was also known as Bola Samarae, alias Piyal or Loku Aiya. His father, Devage Malhoda, was a farmer, while his mother, Maria, was born in Mirigama. The couple had seven children.
Bola Samarae graduated from the University of Peradeniya. He entered the Faculty of Arts in March 1965 and graduated in 1968. Having begun his political career with Nihal Dias’s Socialist Union while at university, he became the JVP’s Monaragala District leader in 1968. Four months later, he was appointed Kurunegala District leader. He later spent nearly a decade reflecting on his experiences and writing his autobiography at his home in Narammala.
During the 1970s, the leaders of the Kurunegala District divisions included H. W. Jayathilaka (Polgahawela), Dharmaratne (Dodangaslanda), Sediris Hami (Wariyapola), Jayakody (Kurunegala), Cyril Somasiri (Gokarella), Herath alias Pulta (Mawathagama), Samarakoon Gunathilaka (Alawwa), K. D. Somasiri (Pothuhera), and Ranasgalle Gunadasa (Kuliyapitiya), among others. Samaratunga later noted that many talented activists subsequently emerged into leadership positions.
Political Camps
During the April rebellion, hundreds of political camps operated throughout Kurunegala District. Among them were three major camps, each with more than 100 participants. The strongest divisions were located in Alawwa, Gokarella, Dodangaslanda, Kuliyapitiya, and Wariyapola.
By 5 April, approximately 750 rebels had joined the attacks. However, they were unable to capture any police station. The Kurunegala District alone possessed around 60 firearms and 2,500 improvised tin bombs. Only five firearms were available for the attack on the Kurunegala Police Station.
Rebel Attacks
Nearly 150 rebels participated in the attack on the Kurunegala Police Station from several locations. Wickrama, a former student leader of Maliyadeva College, was killed while advancing in front of the police station. Samaratunga, Jayakody, Salinda Dissanayake, and several others led the assault.
According to Bandara Tennakoon, who participated in the operation, the rebels attacked the Gokarella Police Station with a stockpile of weapons and bombs. However, the group dispersed under heavy police resistance. The Rambodagala group failed to arrive as expected.
Despite this, the police were compelled, for tactical reasons, to abandon the police stations at Ambanpola, Alawwa, Galgamuwa, Gokarella, Polgahawela, Mahawa, Kuliyapitiya, Mawathagama, and Wariyapola. Areas such as Ambanpola, Galgamuwa, Madahapola, Rambodagala, and Mahawa came under temporary rebel control.
By 1970, Sri Lanka had 266 police stations staffed by approximately 10,605 police personnel.
Most Rebels Came from Dodangaslanda
Among the most determined and militant groups of the April 1971 uprising, the districts of Kegalle and Kurunegala occupied a prominent position. According to the caste composition of Kurunegala District, a large number of rebels belonged to the Devapura or Wahumpura community.
In percentage terms, the largest number of rebels came from the Dodangaslanda Electoral District, and it was also the area that suffered the highest casualties.
Numerous villages, including Pothuwapitiya, Maduragoda, Dehigama, Bulugoda, Katupotha, Ridigama, Melsiripura, Madahapolakanda, Poththewela, Wewagama, Rambodagala, Thalwatte, Rawketikanda, Diyadora, and Kavisigamuwa, became JVP strongholds. Rebel operations were organized from these bases throughout the district.
Kurunegala Camps
Following the defeat of the April Rebellion, four major camps were established in Kurunegala District. Approximately 200 rebels gathered at a school in Madahapolakanda, Gokarella; around 80 were stationed at Ranthetikanda, Rambodagala; approximately 100 were based in Galgamuwa and Wewagama near Kuliyapitiya; and around 70 operated in the vicinity of Pallekele.
The leadership of these camps included Dharma, Mahinda Jayawardena (alias Bullet Mahinda), Appuhami, Sumathi, Herath, Cyril, Kamal Nissanka, Dharmaratne, Thilake, and others. In addition, smaller deployments were established in several locations, including the Arankelle forest.
The Pothuhera Group
Although the Pothuhera, Alawwa, and Polgahawela groups also retreated toward Wilpattu, this remained largely unknown to the public. Kamal Nissanka, one of the group’s leaders, later emphasized that several rebels were killed and many others were arrested by security forces while attempting to escape in small groups.
Kamal joined the JVP through Wanathamulle Osman de Silva while studying at Wesley College, Colombo, in 1969. He attended classes conducted by Mabole Milton Fernando, one of the founders of the JVP. Today, Kamal Nissanka is a well-known lawyer.
Reflecting on his experiences, Nissanka stated that by December 1970, he and his group had recruited more than 200 people through educational classes conducted in areas such as Kohilagedara, Wattegedara, Kudumbawa, Malagane, Bulugolla, Katupitiya, and Bolgodakanda within the Pothuhera Police Division. Activists raised funds for gunpowder and ammunition by working on rented paddy fields.
On the night of 5 April, the Pothuhera Police Station was attacked. The exchange of fire lasted approximately ten minutes. Somasiri, the officially designated rebel leader of Pothuhera, did not participate in the operation, and leadership fell to Handugala K. Jinadasa.
Following the attack, the group withdrew and established a camp in the Managala Hills, near Kudumbawa village on the border between the Kurunegala and Kegalle districts. A large number of local supporters assisted the camp, and firearms were collected from surrounding areas. Somasiri, who had not been seen since 5 April, rejoined the camp on 10 April. By 15 April, approximately 40 people had gathered there.
On 25 April, the Air Force bombed the Managala camp. The remaining 30 members retreated to Yogamuwakanda, Polgahawela. On 9 May 1971, the Rambukkana group arrived at Parape Kanda and joined them. The Pothuhera, Alawwa, Polgahawela, and Rambukkana groups subsequently merged under the leadership of Tilak Weerasena of Rambukkana. Only a small number of these rebels eventually reached Wilpattu.
Retreat to Wilpattu
Although a retreat plan had been prepared in case the attacks failed, no specific destination had initially been selected. Eventually, the Kurunegala group decided to retreat to Wilpattu, and the Kegalle group agreed to accompany them.
Their route passed through Mampitiya Temple, Ragala Temple, across the Ma Oya, Hambeli Kanda, Medagoda, Hurukgamuwa Kanda, Nathagane, Yakdehigala, Madahapolakanda, Pallekele, Galgiriya, and Palugolla Devalaya before eventually reaching Wilpattu. Along the journey, they faced repeated attacks from the Army and Air Force. Several individuals were killed, and the group frequently split and regrouped while attempting to evade security forces.
By this stage, nearly two months had passed, and only a fraction of the original force remained. Many had abandoned the journey, while others had been killed or captured. Among those killed were Kagama Upasena and Sujatha Hadagama.
The surviving group arrived in Wilpattu on 17 June 1971. It included Samaratunga, Thulihiriye Ari, Podi Disa, George, Rahula, and others. They were joined by a group of approximately 60 rebels from Anuradhapura led by Kalu Wije, including Vipulasena, Marasinghe, Heenbanda, Wilbert, and Gamini Samaranayake. The combined force was divided into five groups, each assigned different responsibilities, including coordination with Colombo and the establishment of farms in Siyambalanduwa and Namal Oya.
Surrenders to the Government
During the first four days of May 1971 alone, 3,978 rebels surrendered to the government nationwide. Of these, 164 were from Kurunegala District.
In some areas, entire families participated in the rebellion. One notable example was the Kahagallage family. The parents were Karnis Singho Kahagallage and Podinona of Parape Dewayala. They had nine children, including four sons.
One son, Jinadasa, served as deputy leader of the group that attacked the Pothuhera Police Station. Several rebels, including Podi Appuhami, were killed during the operation. Jinadasa himself was later killed on 14 April 1971 in Ranmalgoda village.
Other family members, including Piyadasa, Daya, Kanthi, Violet, Nimal, Sunil, Rosaline, and Latha, joined the Pattharagala camp during the rebellion. They were later arrested and reportedly subjected to various forms of torture.
Rewards for the Capture of Samaratunga and Jayakody
On 8 November 1974, the government announced a reward of Rs. 30,000 for information leading to the arrest of James Samaratunga and a further reward of Rs. 15,000 for the officer responsible for capturing him. According to the IGP’s notice, he was wanted in connection with rebellion-related activities in Polonnaruwa, Dambulla, Hingurakgoda, Kegalle, Kurunegala, and Alawwa.
Similarly, on 22 December 1971, the IGP announced a reward of Rs. 3,500 for information leading to the capture of Jayakody Arachchige Gunaratne, the second-ranking leader in Kurunegala District.
Jayakody, the 41st accused in the April case, initially joined the JVP through the Dharmasekara group. However, during the conflict between Wijeweera and Dharmasekara, he left the latter faction and aligned himself directly with the JVP. Samaratunga later stated that the contribution made by Polgahawela Jayakody, who served as a military officer within the Kurunegala organization, was invaluable.
Following the defeat of the rebellion, Samaratunga led a large group that retreated to Wilpattu through Kegalle and Pallekele. Although he was arrested in Nugegoda in 1974, he managed to escape. He was eventually rearrested by the Terrorism Investigation Division in Siyambalanduwa, Monaragala, on 1 July 1976.
Following the abolition of the Criminal Justice Commission, Samaratunga was released along with other rebels on 2 November 1977. He later married Leela Senaratne of Dikella, Kegalle, in May 1978. They had two children. Their eldest son, Janaka, became an engineer, while their younger son, Indika, later served as a Grama Niladhari.
The Criminal Justice Commission completed not only the main investigation into the April 1971 rebellion but also approximately 140 related investigations by 4 November 1976. The accused were charged under Section 115 of the Penal Code with conspiring to wage war against the Crown between 1 January 1968 and 31 December 1971.
Kurunegala Investigations
The Pothuhera Investigation, conducted under Case No. 32, charged 45 suspects, including G. K. W. Nissanka (alias Kamal), with conspiring to wage war in Pothuhera, Kohilagedara, Kudumbawa, Bulugolla, and surrounding areas.
The Polgahawela Investigation, conducted under Case No. 33, involved alleged conspiracies at Polgahawela, Yogamuwakanda, Godawela, and other locations. Twenty-eight suspects, including H. W. Jayathilaka, were charged.
Under Investigation No. 35 (Alawwa), S. M. A. S. P. Gunathilaka (alias Samarakoon Gunathilaka) and 69 others were charged with conspiring to wage war in areas including Alawwa, Yasaragama, Walakumbura, and Bujjomuwa.
In addition, five other commissions of inquiry were conducted in Kurunegala District concerning the deaths of police personnel in Kuliyapitiya, Mahawa, Kurunegala, and Giriulla.
