The day began with the Kolkata hotel fire that killed nine Bangladeshi nationals, suspected to be caused by an AC blast, dominating early headlines. By mid-morning, attention shifted to the NEET paper leak case, where the Centre told the Supreme Court the system was foolproof, and the court advised learning from UPSC. In parallel, the Tamil Nadu government withdrew its order barring students from CJP and Left protests after backlash. The afternoon saw India's 5-3 Hockey World Cup win over Pakistan, eliminating them. The most significant diplomatic development came in the evening: Pakistan summoned the US chargé d'affaires over US envoy Sergio Gor's remark in Srinagar that J&K is an 'important part' of India, a statement that also hinted at easing the travel advisory. This reaction underscored the sensitivity of the Kashmir issue in international diplomacy.