Teachers, classmates join funeral prayers for slain Bangladeshi student Bristy in US

Repatriation arrangements move forward as authorities prepare to send the student’s remains to Dhaka for burial

The Namaz-e-Janaza or funeral prayer for Bangladeshi student Nahida Sultana Bristy has been held in the United States, with teachers, classmates and members of the local Bangladeshi community gathering in large numbers.

The Bangladesh Embassy in Washington, DC confirmed that the services took place at 2pm local time on Wednesday in Florida’s Tampa.

A representative from the Bangladesh Consulate in Miami also attended the funeral for the University of South Florida (USF) student.

Following the prayers, Bristy’s remains were handed over to a funeral home.

The agency will transport the coffin from Orlando International Airport on an Emirates flight on Thursday.

A consular official will be present during the dispatch, and the body is expected to arrive in Dhaka at 8:40am this Saturday.

The body of her partner, Zamil Ahamed Limon, reached Bangladesh on Monday and was buried at his family graveyard in Jamalpur’s Madarganj.

Limon, a Khulna University graduate, was a PhD candidate in geography, environmental science, and policy at USF.

Bristy, an alumnus of Noakhali Science and Technology University, was pursuing her studies in chemical engineering.

The couple, both aged 27, were in a relationship and planned to marry after completing their doctorates.

They went missing on the morning of Apr 16. After their phones remained unreachable, their families contacted the local police near the university campus.

On Apr 24, police discovered Limon’s body near a local bridge and subsequently informed Bristy’s family that she had also been killed.

Limon’s roommate Hisham Abugharbieh was arrested the same day and faces two counts of first-degree murder.

During the search for Bristy, human remains were recovered from a local body of water; forensic tests confirmed the identity of the remains as hers on May 1.

In a tribute to the slain postgraduate researchers, USF authorities will award posthumous doctoral degrees to both Limon and Bristy.

The presentation will take place during the spring convocation this Friday, where 8,000 students are graduating.

The university will observe a minute of silence in their memory.

During the ceremony for 353 doctoral recipients, two empty chairs draped in regalia -- including gowns, caps, and hoods --will be kept in their honour.

The USF administration has formally invited the Miami Consulate to accept the awards on behalf of the bereaved families.