New Delhi, April 7 -- Indian benchmark indices witnessed a sharp sell-off on Monday, April 7, with both the Sensex and Nifty opening with a massive gap-down, tracking a global rout in equities triggered by mounting fears of a global trade war. The sharp fall came in the wake of concerns surrounding US President Donald Trump's aggressive tariff policies that have unsettled investor sentiment across global markets.

At the opening bell, the BSE Sensex nosedived 3,379.19 points or 4.48 percent to 71,985.50, while the Nifty 50 plummeted 901.05 points or 3.93 percent to 22,003.40. The broader markets bore an even heavier brunt, with the Nifty Midcap index dropping 4 percent and the Nifty Smallcap index shedding 5 percent.

The freefall in Indi...