The media extensively covered Lionel Messi's 'GOAT Tour' in India. Morning reports detailed chaos at his Kolkata event, with angry fans throwing bottles and chairs after his early departure. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee apologized and ordered a probe, leading to the organizer's arrest. By early afternoon, focus shifted to Hyderabad, where Messi's event was a success, featuring a friendly football match with CM Revanth Reddy and a jersey gift to Rahul Gandhi.
Concurrently, Delhi-NCR's air quality worsened throughout the day, prompting the implementation of GRAP-3 and later GRAP-4 measures, including construction bans and work-from-home advisories. In political news, Pankaj Chaudhary filed his nomination for UP BJP President, with CM Yogi Adityanath as proposer, and the BJP celebrated a historic victory in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation elections in Kerala.