New Delhi, March 29 -- The Indian stock market witnessed sharp losses on Friday, March 27, with benchmark indices - the BSE Sensex and the Nifty 50 - declining more than 2% each.

The Sensex tumbled 1,690 points, or 2.25%, to close at 73,583, while the Nifty 50 dropped 487 points, or 2.09%, to settle at 22,819.60. Broader markets also remained under pressure, with the BSE Midcap Index falling 2.18% and the BSE Smallcap Index slipping 1.82%.

Both the Sensex and the Nifty 50 extended their losing streak for the fifth consecutive week.

"The Nifty 50 ended the week on a weak note, declining 1.28% to close at 22,819. Despite this overall softness at the index level, buying interest was largely confined to the IT sector, while most other sect...