Sensex slumps over 200 points after IAF missile strikes

Initially, the sensex was trading at 251.81 points.

​Mumbai: The benchmark Sensex fell over 200 points on Tuesday after Pakistan claimed that Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and returned after dropping a payload.

At 11:15 am, the BSE S&P Sensex was down nearly 285 points at 35,929 in opening deals and the NSE Nifty 50 slipped 81 points at 10,800 level.

Initially, the sensex was trading at 251.81 points, or 0.70 per cent, down at 35,961.57, While 50-share Nifty also fell 64.30 points, or 0.59 per cent, to 10,815.80.

According to brokers, domestic investor sentiment took a beating after the Pakistan Army on Tuesday alleged that the Indian Air Force violated the Line of Control (LoC) in Muzafarabad sector.

The allegation came amid heightened tension between India and Pakistan after the February 14 suicide attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad terror group that killed 40 CRPF soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district.

The laggards that dragged the key indices include Yes Bank, Hero MotoCorp, Tata Steel, Vedanta, Sun Pharma, ICICI Bank, SBI, RIL, M&M, Kotak Bank, Bajaj Finance, Infosys, NTPC, HDFC, Maruti Suzuki, Bajaj Auto, IndusInd Bank, L&T, PowerGrid, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, Asian Paint, ITC and ONGC, falling by up to 2.38 per cent.

On the other hand, TCS, HUL and Tata Motors rose up to 0.93 per cent.

Most of the BSE sectoral indices were trading in the red, led by banking, power, PSU, realty and IT stocks with losses up to 0.90 per cent.

Fresh round of selling by domestic institutional investors (DIIs) also dampened market sentiment here, brokers said.

Meanwhile, DIIs sold shares worth Rs 1,764.4 crore, while foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth a net of Rs 2,134.35 crore on Monday, provisional data showed.

In the Asian region, Hong Kong's Hang Seng was down 0.49 per cent, Japan's Nikkei fell 0.20 per cent, Taiwan shed 0.14 per cent, Korea's Kospi shed 0.19 per cent and Singapore Straits Times was down 0.27 per cent in late morning trade Tuesday.

The US Dow Jones Industrial Average, however, ended 0.23 per cent higher on Monday.