Mumbai, June 23 -- The benchmark indices witnessed a sharp sell-off on Tuesday, with the Sensex plunging about 900 points and the Nifty slipping below 23,850, weighed down by weak global cues, foreign fund outflows and profit booking after a recent rally. The decline mirrored losses across Asian markets, including a trading halt in South Korea after the KOSPI tumbled over 9%. Selling pressure intensified in IT and metal stocks amid concerns over softer demand and weaker commodity prices. A stronger US dollar, a weaker rupee and a spike in India VIX added to investor caution. Pharma and healthcare stocks, however, bucked the broader market weakness.

The S&P BSE Sensex tanked 893.39 points or 1.16% to 76,200.68. The Nifty 50 index fell 278...