Mumbai (PTI): Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty declined on Tuesday morning as foreign fund outflows dampened investors' sentiment.

In a highly volatile trade, the 30-share BSE Sensex dropped 124.95 points to 84,775.76 in early trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty declined 35.35 points to 25,924.15.

From the Sensex firms, Power Grid, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, Trent and Bharti Airtel were among the major laggards.

However, Reliance Industries, Bharat Electronics, Tata Steel and State Bank of India were among the gainers.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 4,171.75 crore on Monday, according to exchange data. Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs), however, bought stocks worth Rs 4,512.87 crore in the previous trade.

"Nifty’s attempt to break the 2024 September high and set new record is facing resistance particularly from resumption of big FII selling which touched Rs 4,171 crore in the cash market yesterday," V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited, said.

In Asian markets, South Korea's Kospi, Japan's Nikkei 225 index, Shanghai's SSE Composite index and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index were trading in positive territory.

US markets ended significantly higher on Monday.

"Nifty closed below 26,000 on Monday as selling pressure persisted, raising doubts over whether the recent rally is fading and whether the index can recover after two sharp sessions. Sentiment is dampened by Rs 18,013 crore of FII outflows in November and uncertainty around the India–US trade deal...," Prashanth Tapse, Senior VP (Research), Mehta Equities Ltd, said.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, dipped 0.38 per cent to USD 63.13 per barrel.

On Monday, the Sensex declined by 331.21 points or 0.39 per cent to settle at 84,900.71. The Nifty fell by 108.65 points or 0.42 per cent to 25,959.50.

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Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (PTI): 'Jai Bhim': These two words have come to symbolise the awakening and empowerment of the Dalit community in independent India, but not many people know how it originated.

The slogan, which also encapsulates the immense reverence in which Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is held, was first raised at the Makranpur Parishad, a conference organised at Makranpur village in Kannad teshil of today's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district in Maharashtra.

Ambedkar, the chief architect of India's Constitution, died on December 6, 1956.

Bhausaheb More, the first president of the Scheduled Castes Federation of Marathwada, organised the first Makranpur Parishad on December 30, 1938.

Dr Ambedkar spoke at the conference and asked the people not to support the princely state of Hyderabad under which much of central Maharashtra then fell, said Assistant Commissioner of Police Pravin More, Bhausaheb's son.

"When Bhausaheb stood up to speak, he said every community has its own deity and they greet each other using the name of that deity. Dr Ambedkar showed us the path of progress, and he is like God to us. So henceforth, we should say 'Jai Bhim' while meeting each other. The people responded enthusiastically. A resolution accepting 'Jai Bhim' as the community's slogan was also passed," More told PTI.

"My father came in contact with Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar in his early years. Bhausaheb was aware of the atrocities the Nizam state committed on Dalits. He told Ambedkar about these atrocities, including the pressure to convert. Dr Ambedkar was strongly against these atrocities, and he decided to attend the 1938 conference," he said.

As Ambedkar was against the princely states, he was banned from giving speeches in the Hyderabad state but was allowed to travel through its territories. The Shivna river formed the border between Hyderabad and British India. Makranpur was chosen as the venue for the first conference because it was on the banks of Shivna but lay in the British territory, ACP More said.

The stage made of bricks, from where Dr Ambedkar addressed the conference, still stands. The conference is organised on December 30 every year to carry forward Ambedkar's thought, and the tradition was not discontinued even in 1972 when Maharashtra experienced one of the worst droughts in it history.

"My grandmother pledged her jewellery for the conference expenses. People from Khandesh, Vidarbha and Marathwada attended it. Despite a ban imposed by the Nizam's police, Ambedkar's followers crossed the river to attend the event," said ACP More.

"This is the 87th year of Makranpur Parishad. We have deliberately retained the venue as it helps spread Ambedkar's thought in rural areas," he added.