The BSE gauge Sensex tanked over 1,500 points to crack below the 57,000-mark and the NSE Nifty slipped below the 17,000-level in the opening session , amid heightened tension over the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
According to PTI report, The 30-share Sensex nosedived 1,540.85 points to 56,612.07 in early deals and the broader Nifty plummeted 458.20 points to 16,916.55.
On the Sensex chart, all 30 shares were trading with steep to moderate losses — with SBI, Tata Steel and IndusInd Bank tumbling over 4 per cent. Elsewhere in Asia, bourses were trading in deep red, after concerns that Russia may soon invade Ukraine, which sent oil prices soaring.
Analysts said that domestic markets opened sharply lower in line with negative Asian markets as also sharply lower US equities.