Just weeks after marriage, couple killed in Sangareddy blast

Sri Ramya and Nikhil Reddy were just weeks away from celebrating a grand wedding they had fought so hard for.

Quietly married at an Arya Samaj temple in April, the couple had been preparing for a grander, traditional ceremony in August, one that would bring both families together in joy and full acceptance of their love. But on Monday morning, their story ended in the rubble of Sigachi Industries, where both were killed in the deadly reactor explosion.

The couple had switched shifts to be together. Ramya, usually assigned to the 10 a.m. general shift, had volunteered for the 5:30 a.m. shift, to match Nikhil’s regular schedule, that day. At about 9.10 a.m., the explosion tore through the factory, claiming dozens of lives, including theirs. “She wasn’t even supposed to be there. It was as if fate called them both together,” said a colleague.

Ramya, from Krishna district, and Nikhil, from Jammalamadugu in Kadapa, met in the company’s quality control department. Both had completed post-graduate degrees in the sciences – Ramya from Padmavati Mahila University and Nikhil from Sri Venkateshwara University – before their professional lives brought them to Hyderabad. Ramya joined Sigachi Industries as an intern six months ago, while Nikhil had been working there for two years.

Their relationship wasn’t easily accepted. Ramya’s family, from a Scheduled Caste background, hesitated due to societal pressures and began considering other alliances. In December 2024, Ramya proposed the idea of marrying Nikhil. Facing continued resistance, the couple quietly got married in an Arya Samaj temple in Tirupati in April 2025.

Determined to bring their families together, they sought the help of Kolikapudi Srinivasa Rao, MLA from Tiruvuru constituency in Andhra Pradesh, who mediated and helped secure approval. “Just four days ago, Ramya’s family invited me to their engagement. They were excited. I said I’d be there. Now I can’t believe they’re both gone,” he said.

Over the past two months, the couple had finally begun to live openly as husband and wife. Ramya had visited Nikhil’s family home multiple times, and both families had exchanged visits. They had made it through the hardest part. They were waiting to celebrate. But that day will never come.