Even as the CCB, the Bengaluru city police, the NIA and various other investigating teams are quizzing the 14 terror suspects picked up in Karnataka, their families are dealing with the fall-out - a sibling losing his job, others finding it hard to live in a society that doesn’t trust them anymore.

Dr Zaheer Ahmed Solapuri, brother of terror suspect, Dr Zafar Iqbal Solapuri, says he was forced to resign from Fortis Hospital after his brother’s arrest.

“I want to make it very clear that we are all against terrorism. No terrorist plotting against the country should be spared. But as far as my brother is concerned, I have reason to believe he is being framed. It’s up to the courts to decide. People should understand that we have done nothing wrong and are paying for no fault of ours. Recently, I was forced to resign from Fortis hospital after my brother’s arrest. I am not worried, but will our honour and dignity be restored, if tomorrow my brother emerges clean from this affair?” asks Dr Zaheer.

Abdul Mutalib, father of terror suspect, Dr Nayeem Siddique said: “The charges are not true because we have lived in a Hindu area for years”.

“All our family friends are Hindus. At every crisis in our life, including the time when I needed money for his education, it was our Hindu friends who helped me financially. My Muslim community may not even know my name, but most Hindus in Davengere know me, they know who Dada Peer is,” says Mutalib.

Nayeem is a doc, cannot hurt anyone, says father

Abdul Mutalib, 58, popularly referred to as Dada Peer in Davangere, refuses to believe that his son, who spent hours in libraries studying, can be a terrorist.

Since Dr Nayeem Siddique's arrest Mr Mutalib has been shuttling between Davangere and Bengaluru, doing everything he can to save his son. "My son is innocent. I have trust in the judicial system. He has the heart of a doctor and can't plot anything to hurt anyone. I know he will emerge clean from all this," he says.

Following Dr Nayeem Siddique's arrest on September 2, Mr Matalib too was taken to the CCB headquarters and held there from 2.30 pm to 10.30 pm.

The police seized Rs 10,000 in cash and a laptop from Dr Nayeem. “They took his laptop away. He had just bought it some 35 days ago, working night shifts in the ICU of an hospital for over four months. They claim it’s evidence, but it was bought with my son's hard earned money," protests Mr Mutalib.

Besides his son, Dada Peer has four daughters,who are all married. He has lived in Hubli since 1986 and repairs and sells coin-operated telephones for a living.

"Following my son's arrest, some people said we had a lot of money. But the truth is we don't. There was a time when coin-operated phones were in demand and we did good business. But now things are difficult. Some TV channels claimed that I have lakhs in my account. But whatever money there is in my account, is my own hard earned money, not something that somebody gave us," retorts Mr Mutalib angrily.

It’s not fair to brand us terrorists: Families

The recent arrests of 14 terror suspects has shaken the country , but the families of the accused argue its unfair to brand all of them terrorists when the charges against them have not yet been proved.

Dr Zaheer Ahmad Solapuri, a cardiologist and brother of one of the terror suspects, Dr Zafar Iqbal Solapuri is not as worried about losing his job with the hospital he worked for as he is about the harassment his whole family is suffering since his arrest.

How did you come to know about the arrests?

A: I called everywhere. Police stations, the control room and finally after calling the police commissioner, I was informed that my brother had been arrested.

Did you think that your brother had any anti-national feelings at any point?

No, never. He was always into studying and was ambitious about his career.

How is the family coping?

The news has shocked everyone, including his wife. My parents are heart patients. We can never imagine him being involved in anything anti-national. That he could be a terrorist is just too far fetched a theory. I also want to ask for protection for my parents.

Today a group of people from the Bajrang Dal staged a demonstration before our house in Hubli, while my parents, Dr Zafar's wife and my sister were inside. They bolted the house and called the police.

Charges against my brother have not been proved yet and even before that the whole family is being harassed. We have done nothing wrong. My father Sheikh Rafiq is an Assistant Conservator of Forests. We have all lived a good life but are paying the price. I am afraid for the lives of my family members.

Has attitude of people changed towards your family?

Recently, I had to resign from a reputed hospital following the news of my brother's arrest. But will our honour and dignity be restored, if tomorrow my brother emerges clean from this affair?

Bajrang Dal activists protest

Sixteen activists of Bajrang Dal were arrested and later released for staging a protest in front of the residence of terror suspect Dr Zafer Solapur demanding the state government to ban few Muslim organisations for their alleged links with the terrorists.

The police beefed up security at Dr Zafer’s house, which is adjacent to Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar’s residence, in Keshwapur after the protest. The activists from the pro-Hindutva group were led by its state convener Suryanarayan Swami.

They shouted slogans outside Dr Zafer’s house and sought action against the guilty. They demanded that the police officers should also interrogate family members of the terror suspects.