Dhaka, May 6 -- The University of South Florida (USF) has decided to award posthumous doctoral degrees to Bangladeshi PhD students Jamil Ahmed Limon and Nahida Sultana Bristy, who were victims of a brutal killing in US.

The degrees will be conferred at the university's spring commencement on May 9, according to an official letter sent by USF authorities to the Bangladesh Consulate in Miami on May 5.

In the letter, the university requested a representative from the consulate to attend the ceremony and receive the honours on behalf of the victims' families.

A consulate representative is expected to be present at the event to accept the recognition.

Meanwhile, the first funeral prayer for Nahida Sultana Bristy is scheduled to be held in ...