The University of South Florida has announced that it will award posthumous doctoral degrees to two Bangladeshi students, Jamil Ahmed Limon and Nahida Sultana Bristy, who were victims of a brutal killing in the United States.
The degrees are set to be conferred during the university’s spring commencement ceremony on 9 May. In an official communication sent on Tuesday, the university informed the Bangladesh Consulate in Miami of its decision and requested that a representative attend the ceremony to accept the honours on behalf of the victims’ families.
A consulate official is expected to be present at the event to receive the recognition.
Meanwhile, funeral arrangements for Nahida Sultana Bristy have been scheduled. Her body is expected to be transported to Dhaka via Dubai on 7 May, with arrival scheduled for the morning of 9 May.
Both victims were 27 years old and were pursuing higher studies in the United States. Limon, a graduate of Khulna University, had been enrolled in a PhD programme in geography, environment and policy at the University of South Florida. Bristy, who previously studied at Noakhali Science and Technology University, was pursuing chemical engineering.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Limon had been missing before his body was discovered on 24 April. Authorities recovered his remains from multiple black garbage bags near the Howard Frankland Bridge area in Florida following interrogation of a suspect.
Bristy had also been reported missing since 16 April. On the same day Limon’s remains were found, investigators located partial remains of Bristy in a water body in Florida.
The tragic deaths of the two students have drawn attention both in Bangladesh and abroad, prompting condolences and renewed concerns over the safety of international students.
