Tariq Ahmad Mir, a former sarpanch from Shopian district in Jammu & Kashmir, was once associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), having contested the 2014 Assembly elections on its ticket before being expelled in 2018. His name came into national focus in 2020 when the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested him in connection with the DSP Davinder Singh case, on allegations of providing arms and logistical support to Hizbul Mujahideen militants.