The 30-share BSE Sensex fell 3,914.75 points to open at 71,449.94, while Nifty was down 1,146.05 points or around 5 per cent, starting the trading session at 22,186.25. In the last trading session on Thursday, the Sensex closed at 75,364.69 and Nifty 50 at 23,433.25.
Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Larsen & Toubro, Infosys, and TCS were among the biggest laggards in the opening trade, with Tata Steel losing around 8.44 per cent. On the other hand, Bharti Airtel was the only stock that traded in green in the opening trade. The scrip was up 0.64 per cent in the early trade.