Darjeeling, Jan. 3: The arrest of Robert Rai, accused of killing a Gorkha Janmukti Vidyarthi Morcha leader on New Year’s Day, averted a strike in Kalimpong subdivision today.

The Kalimpong unit of the Vidyarthi Morcha had threatened to close down the subdivision unless Rai was arrested by today morning.

“Since the accused has been arrested, there is no question of calling a further strike,” said Keshav Raj Pokhrel, the general secretary of the Vidyarthi Morcha.

A police officer said: “Robert Rai, 30, had been arrested from Pedong around 10pm yesterday and been charged with murder.” Investigation is on to find out the motive behind the murder, he added.

“On New Year’s Day, Robert Rai attacked the general secretary of our Pedong unit, Puran Moktan, 28, with a wooden beam following an altercation over providing passage to a vehicle that Rai was driving. Puran died soon after he was admitted to the Pedong hospital yesterday,” said Deep Thapa, the assistant general secretary of the Vidyarthi Morcha’s Kalimpong unit.

Pedong, 15km from Kalimpong, was shut yesterday to protest the murder.

Sources said unidentified persons attacked Rai’s house in Pedong and fled after setting it on fire. The Vidyarthi Morcha has, however, described the murder as “not political”. “There is no political motive behind the murder. It happened at the spur of the moment,” said Thapa.

Darjeeling police chief D.P. Singh said: “The person who died belonged to the Vidyarthi Morcha and the accused, too, is said to be a Morcha supporter.”

In another incident, the body of Lance Naik Vijay Kumar, 34, of the 27 Mountain Division, was found near the cantonment in Kalimpong yesterday. Kumar hailed from Bihar. “It looks like a murder,” said Singh.