‘Unwelcome’ guests play spoilsport at royal wedding
Pratibha Chauhan
Tribune News Service
Shimla, September 26
Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh faced an embarrassing situation today when CBI sleuths descended on his private residence, Holly Lodge, unannounced around 8.10 am while the family was preparing for his daughter’s wedding.
Facing a CBI preliminary inquiry in a disproportionate assets case, Virbhadra was preparing to leave for Sankat Mochan Temple, where his daughter’s marriage was to be solemnised, when over 20 officials — led by a Joint Director-level officer — entered his house.
Unfazed by the CBI raid, Virbhadra reportedly told the officials to complete their task as he had to leave for the wedding and that the house was open for them. He arrived home after the wedding around 11.30am with his daughter and son-in-law.
The marriage of Meenakshi Kumari, Virbhadra’s youngest daughter from his first wife, was fixed with Ravi Inder Singh, hailing from the erstwhile Faridkot royal family. With both groom and bride being divorcees, the marriage was kept a low-key affair with only immediate family and close relatives being invited. The court marriage of the two had already taken place and after the “pheras” at the temple today, a lunch party was hosted at Holly Lodge.
The CBI sleuths prepared an inventory of every valuable, including money and jewellery. The suitcases that were to be given to the bride were also scanned by the CBI officials and assessment of the value of jewellry made. A local jeweller was also summoned in whose presence the assessment was done.
“I was not aware about the raid when I reached Holly Lodge and neither did I get any inkling about it as everything went about normally and the guests enjoyed the lunch,” said a guest. Virbhadra attended to all his guests, including the groom’s relatives from Punjab and Delhi, while the CBI personnel searched his entire house, including the annexe.
The CM had not invited his Cabinet colleagues, party MLAs or bureaucrats for the wedding and majority of them got to know about it today.
Meenakshi, who was earlier married in Gujarat and has two children, is the youngest of the four daughters Virbhadra has from his first wife, after whose demise he married Pratibha Singh.
