Facing a CBI preliminary inquiry in a disproportionate assets case, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Saturday faced major embarrassment as an 18-member team of CBI officials raided his residence Holly Lodge, Shimla this morning.

Simultaneous raids were also carried out at his residences in Rampur and Saharan – both of which are his native places in Shimla – besides Delhi.

CBI officials confirmed the raids at about 11 locations after a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) registered in June 2015 was converted into a FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Having had some information about the impending FIR, the chief minister got a signed statement issued by all his 11 ministers throwing their weight behind him, and accused the central government of political vendetta.

Early this morning, the CBI team, which sources say also comprised officials of the Enforcement Directorate, reached the chief minister’s private bungalow and called Chief Secretary P Mitra as well as DGP Sanjay Kumar before beginning the raid. TG Negi, a retired IAS officer, and current chairman of State Election Commission, was also at the residence.

There is no official word on the raids, which are still on.

Singh and his family members were out for a family function, as the chief minister had fixed the marriage of his daughter Minakshi Singh at a local temple, which was kept as a quiet and simple family affair. The CBI raids coincided with the wedding event.

However, the Chief Minister soon reached his residence along with his wife Pratibha Singh following which several of his supporters and cabinet ministers, beside senior government officials, arrived.

The Chief Minister was to host a lunch reception for a select group of people but the CBI team continued its raid even as the state’s advocate General Shravan Dogra arrived to assist the family. Many family guests who reached were caught unaware about the presence of the CBI team.

Cabinet ministers Vidya Stokes, Urban Development Minister Sudhir Sharma, chairmen of boards and corporations including Major (Rtd) Vijai Singh Mankotia, Harsh Mahajan, Harish Janartha and CPS Jagjivan Pal were at the CM’s residence.

Stokes, who left the CM’s residence in an hour, said, “there is a wedding function going on in the House. There are relatives and guests. We are here for the function only. Rest I wouldn’t know.”

BJP’s chief whip Suresh Bhardwaj has demanded resignation of the chief minister on moral grounds, now that a CBI case has been registered against him.

The DA case relates to Singh’s tenures as Union minister for steel after he had refiled revised Income Tax returns for the year 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 showing a huge increase in the income from apple orchards, which until then used to be a few lakh rupees.

Beside Virbhadra Singh, his wife Pratibha Singh, son Vikramaditya Singh and daughter Aparajita Kumari have also been named in the case alleging that the chief minister and his family amassed huge wealth.

During his tenure as Union minister, Singh invested Rs 6.1 crore in life insurance policies through a LIC agent Anand Chauhan, who was also his manager at the orchard. Chauhan’s house was also raided.

Now Finance Minister, BJP leader Arun Jaitely was the first to write to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking a CBI probe into charges against Virbhadra Singh, terming it as an “open and shut case”.

A PIL was also filed against Virbhadra Singh in the Delhi High Court, which is currently pending for hearing. The CBI was asked during the last hearing to submit a status report on the charges against him.