What accounts for the anger of the tribals against the dikus?

The word “dikus” means outsiders or who come from outside like – moneylenders, traders, zamindars, contractors, British etc. There are a number of reasons for anger of the tribals against the dikus:

(i) The tribals practiced shifting cultivation but the British forced them to follow settled agriculture and also introduced land settlements.
(ii) Traders and moneylenders were coming into the forest, wanting to buy forest produce at a very cheap rate, luring them to take cash loans at high interests etc. The innocent and poor people initially fell in the trap of these moneylenders and traders and remained indebted throughout their lives. So the tribals considered the traders, moneylenders as evil outsiders.
(iii) Under British rule the tribal chiefs lost their authorities they had enjoyed earlier amongst their people, were unable to fulfill their traditional functions. Rather they had to pay tribute to the British.
(iv) By the introduction of forest laws, the British evacuated them from their own lands. As a result they became homeless and went in search of work and livelihood.

Interaction with merchants and traders usually meant debt and poverty for the tribal. Hence, moneylenders and traders were seen as evil outsiders. They were seen as the cause of the misery of tribal people. The moneylenders and any other outsider were called the dikus.