Mumbai, April 15 (Inditop.com) Heavy selling pulled down a key Indian equities index towards the closing bell Thursday, ending trade 1.1 percent lower than its previous close.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 17,804.55 points, closed at 17,626.51 points, down 195.45 points or 1.1 percent from its previous close at 17,821.96 points.

At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty ended at 5,268.85 points, down 1.02 percent against the previous close at 5,322.95 points.

Selling also hit broader markets which had seen buying interest earlier. The BSE midcap index closed 0.21 percent down while the BSE small cap index ended 0.62 percent lower.