The stock markets started Tuesday's session on a weak note, with the BSE benchmark index Sensex shedding 63 points.
Losses in banking, metal and pharma stocks dragged the markets lower.
The downward movement in metal stocks was led by Vedanta, which fell nearly 4 per cent.The NSE Niftyfell 23 points to trade at10,664 in early deals.
Thirty one stocks on the 50-scrip Nifty index were trading in the negative zone.While Vedanta was the top laggard on the index, Sun Pharma, ICICI Bank, Indiabulls Housing Finance and Lupin - trading between 1 per cent to 1.5 per cent lower - were the other top losers.The Tamil Nadu government on Monday ordered the permanent closure of a copper smelter controlled by London-listed Vedanta Resources after 13 people protesting to demand its shutdown on environmental concerns were killed last week.Residents and environmental activists had long demanded a shutdown of the copper smelter citing air and water pollution.
Vedanta denies the accusations of pollution.At9:23 am, the BSE Sensex was trading 51 points lower at 35,113 while the NSE Nifty was down 17 points at 10,671.
Vedanta shares were down 2.3 per cent at Rs 247.85 on the NSE.Equities in other Asian markets fell.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dipped 0.3 per cent after three consecutive sessions of gains.Japan's Nikkei skidded 0.8 per cent while South Korean shares slipped 0.5 per cent.(With agency inputs)